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Kearsarge Energy outlines no‑cost municipal option for group net‑metering solar projects
Summary
Kearsarge Energy representative Malcolm Bliss told the Danville Board of Selectmen about municipal participation in 1–5 MW group net‑metering projects that require no land, wiring, or upfront town funds and provide annual payments tied to generation; the town will review sample agreements and usage data before deciding.
Malcolm Bliss, representing Kearsarge Energy, presented the company’s group net‑metering model to the Danville Board of Selectmen on April 6, describing a structure that lets municipal and institutional meters share production from a single 1–5 megawatt solar project. "Group net metering" allows multiple public entities to receive a share of generation value, Bliss said, and does not require panels, wiring or land use by the town.
Bliss explained the mechanics: a project owner (Kearsarge) builds and finances the facility, the utility (for example, Eversource) meters and pays Kearsarge for generation at the utility’s default supply rate, and Kearsarge distributes value to group members based on each member’s annual usage. He emphasized eligibility limits tied to utility territories: a town must be served by the same utility as the project to participate. "It takes about three acres of land to generate one megawatt," Bliss said, using land and project examples in Concord and Bow.
Board members asked practical questions about costs, liability, contract terms and how variability in solar output is handled. Bliss said there is generally no cost to join the program unless the town seeks outside legal review; Kearsarge carries project insurance and assumes construction risk. He said payments are expected over a typical 20‑year term and that if a project is decommissioned during the term, participating members are invited to join another project.
Selectmen asked that Kearsarge be given the town’s utility bills so it could prepare specific allocations and a revised presentation; Selectmen’s Administrator Vale Van Dorne‑Freeman agreed to forward Unitil bills and a sample agreement included in the board packet. The presentation does not bind the town to participate; the next steps recorded were receipt of usage data, legal review if desired, and further contract review by town officials.
