Letters: Solar Pros and Cons
November 17, 2011, page 3.....
Why Support Solar Power for the Town of Charlotte? from Jennifer Chiodo, Suzy Hodgson and David Pill; and It's not just about NIMBY by Bob Bloch.

Why Support Solar Power for the Town of Charlotte?
Solar power for the Charlotte town buildings is a small step toward developing a sustainable energy resource for our town. Town Buildings (Town Hall, Library and Senior Center) consume about 82,000 kWh annually, which will be offset by the generation of the proposed 14 solar trackers. Developing local energy generation infrastructure is essential to reducing our long-term dependence on fossil fuels and improving our energy security.
The Town Energy Committee voted in support of this project for the following reasons:
Solar power offsets summer peak electric load, thereby reducing the use of dirty, CO2-emitting peak-power generating plants.
The project provides renewable energy at virtually no cost and can provide a small positive cash flow to the Town over the life of the project.
Global warming is a pressing issue, and we think the Town has a role implementing projects that help mitigate climate change.
The committee supports efficiency as the most cost-effective means for reducing energy use, and this project complements the recently completed energy efficiency retrofit of Town Hall. This solar project does not preclude carrying out additional electrical efficiency measures in town buildings.
The project is not necessarily permanent – the trackers can be removed and the site returned to the original condition at the end of the 15-year period.
The contract is for five years and provides the town with the option to withdraw at that time, in which case the town would receive a rent payment for the use of the property for the ensuing ten years of the minimum installation period.
The committee sought an alternative proposal from Alteris Renewables, but it could not provide a low- risk project with minimal upfront investment that would be comparable to that proposed by AllEarth Services, LLC (AES).
Charlotte has the 12th highest average electric energy use per home in the state with an average annual household consumption of 8,848 kWh, more than one third higher than the average Green Mountain Power customer. Supporting the offset of the town building electrical use through the installation of solar trackers is a good way for the town to begin counterbalancing our remarkably high home electrical use.

Jennifer Chiodo,
Suzy Hodgson and David Pill

Source of consumption data: Vermont Town Energy Usage and Data (.xls), Vermont Town Energy Data, Efficiency Vermont website, efficiencyvermont.com/about_us/energy_initiatives/vt_town_energy.aspx.
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It’s not just about NIMBY

The proposed development of 14 solar trackers in the middle of the Thompson’s Point conservation lands has the footprint and visual impact of a small box store. Bowing to developer demands, the Selectboard now intends to go ahead with its original site at the corner of Flat Rock and Thompson’s Point Roads.
After showing me the latest planned siting, Charlie Russell, Charlotte Selectboard Chairman said, “Face it Bob, (the resistance) is all about NIMBY.”
Sorry, Charlie, it’s about much more than NIMBY.
The Town Plan offers some guidance on this matter, but overall it is somewhat vague. It says that we support renewable energy, and we do, but offers no guidance as to how and when. It says little about the Thompson’s Point Conservation Lands, although the plan specifically mentions an official 1984 town committee that recommended that the interior land of Thompson’s Point (including the proposed solar site) be conserved forever. The town must have had a good reason to approve a plan with that reference, even though the recommendation has never been formally considered one way or the other. The plan also says that all commercial development in town should be clustered in areas zoned for that use. One would think that includes this commercial development and would exclude Thompson’s Point as a potential site.
So why is the Selectboard doing this? Because it thinks it can. The Selectboard thinks it can circumvent the intent of the Town Plan on this technicality: A state law takes the final approval of a “power generation facility,” including these solar panels, and unlike any other kind of development, away from the townspeople and gives it to the Public Service Board (PSB). Normally, a dramatic re-use of town land or property would require a vote by the town. But in this case, the Selectboard voted 4-1 to do this deal, submitted an application to the PSB, which reviewed it only to ensure a proper grid hookup, and off we go.
And for what? According to the original best estimate posited by the Selectboard, the net financial benefit to the Town over 15 years, would average $233 per year.
We don’t even get the satisfaction of reducing carbon emissions, because virtually all the electricity this project will offset when the sun shines will be sourced from either hydroelectric or nuclear.
We don’t even have a performance bond to ensure the developer delivers on its responsibility to maintain the panels and remove them when their useful life is over.
The whole deal makes absolutely no sense, especially since the town will have plenty of other opportunities to develop renewable energy. Technology costs are plummeting; new subsidies will be created. At a meeting on November 21, the Selectboard will make its final decision. I say, let’s stop this rushed, ill-conceived plan and do renewable energy the right way.

Robert W. Bloch