The town has cleared a major hurdle in its years-long effort to create a solar photovoltaic array atop the capped landfill next to the transfer station.
The National Park Service owns the land along Route 2A and up the beginning of Mill Street, over which the town must create utility access to the site. The federal government was “vigorously protecting their rights” but recently came to an agreement with the town for an access permit, Town Administrator Tm Higgins reported at the September 12 Select Board meeting.
There will be an informational meeting via Zoom (passcode: 335408) on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. to explain the project background and impacts to abutters and others. According to an FAQ document that’s been distributed to abutters, the only noise from the installation once it’s operable will be a low hum from the inverter when the sun is shining and HVAC equipment inside the energy storage system as a volume that will be “negligible” at the nearby transfer station.
The solar array is expected to generate about 1 megawatt of electricity, which will feed into Eversource’s distribution system via the utility poles and power lines along Mill Street and be used to power town-owned buildings. The town will receive financial credits from Eversource for the energy produced, as well as annual property tax payments.
In 2017, residents approved a “land swap” arrangement whereby some of the landfill property was taken out of conservation status in exchange for putting the same amount of land elsewhere into conservation. That land is part of the Wang property on Bedford Road that the town purchased, now the site of an athletic field as well as nine acres of conservation land.
The town hopes to issue a request for proposals in October 2022 and receive competitive bids from solar companies by mid-November. Construction lasting 4-6 months could begin in summer 2023.
It may also be possible to create a trail link during the process of creating access to the site, Higgins said.