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Greenland Selectmen unanimously back Senate Bill 538 to extend net metering for municipal solar
Summary
The Board of Selectmen voted to authorize the Town Administrator to sign a letter supporting Senate Bill 538, which the Energy Committee said would allow new municipal solar projects to benefit from 20 years of net metering and improve project financing prospects.
The Greenland Board of Selectmen on March 23 voted unanimously to authorize Town Administrator Tara Tucker to sign a letter in support of Senate Bill 538, joining about 30 other municipalities pressing the Legislature to extend net metering protections for municipal solar projects.
Alice Passer, speaking for the town’s Energy Committee, told the board that “Senate Bill 538 would allow new municipal solar projects to benefit from net metering for 20 years,” and said the change is aimed at addressing developer and lender uncertainty that has caused some vendors to leave the state. The committee identified potential sites including the Coakley Landfill, the Portsmouth Country Club and the Town complex but noted some landfill-adjacent parcels are unsuitable because of contamination and terrain constraints.
The Energy Committee emphasized the financial case: extended net metering would allow towns to sell excess electricity back to the grid and generate revenue without raising taxes, and would improve bank willingness to finance smaller municipal installations. Committee members also discussed battery storage as a means to optimize energy sales.
Board members did not debate the merits at length before moving the motion. Stephan Toth moved to authorize the letter; Zack Pike seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
The board also approved a $300 renewal of the Energy Committee’s membership in Clean Energy New Hampshire. The Energy Committee urged urgency because of an upcoming legislative crossover date that could affect SB538’s progress.
Next steps: TA Tucker will sign the support letter on behalf of the town and the Energy Committee will continue identifying feasible parcel contacts for potential projects.
