In their meeting Zoom held on September 28, the Marion Energy Management Committee discussed potential changes to the town’s infrastructure that could promote the use of electric vehicles. The future implementations discussed included new charging stations throughout the town as well as plans to gather data surrounding the prevalence of electric vehicles throughout the town.
Chair of the Committee Christian Ingerslev began the discussion by revealing that the Town of Marion has been pursuing multiple grants to fund potential energy-saving programs. One notable grant is known as the Green Communities Grant. Distribution of the grant is pending an official Notice to Proceed from the Green Communities before the town can utilize the funds.
As the official response will likely take close to a month to arrive, the committee has been contemplating plausible uses for the grant in the meantime. With electric vehicles growing in popularity, the committee has been working to develop locations for new charging stations throughout the town.
Committee member Jennifer Francis recommended that the committee pursue a review of the initial cost payback time and incentives related to new charging stations. According to Francis, a review of money saved over time in relation to the up-front cost of new stations would be a beneficial way of determining the efficacy of their installation.
The discussion of charging stations moved to the potential usage fees for the stations that could generate additional money for the town. Though the fees could be beneficial, the Green Communities Grant stipulates that charging stations constructed with grant money cannot charge for the electricity used. Town Planner Gil Hilario recommended that the committee pursue grants from Eversource, which provides the option for usage fees.
A great deal of these electric vehicle pursuits hinges on the committee’s research into how many electric vehicles are currently in use in Marion and the rate of growth of electric cars in the town. Committee member Robert Fischer has been working with the Registry of Motor Vehicles to aggregate data surrounding the number of electric vehicles currently in use in Marion. Though delays due to COVID-19 have hindered his research, Fischer remains hopeful that a collection of this data will inform their decisions about grant spending in the future.
Francis suggested that a potential problem for new electric vehicle users could be the fear that there will simply not be appropriate facilities to charge the vehicles throughout the town. The installation of charging stations would therefore be an effective way of encouraging the use of sustainable electric vehicles in future years.
Fischer echoed the sentiment: “Many people want to make sure it is a tried and true venture before purchasing,” he explained. “The information from the registry could give us insight into the popularity of electric vehicles in town.”
Apart from new charging stations, the committee concluded with discussion pertaining to new energy-saving upgrades to the town’s buildings. Hilario explained that he has been working to gather new estimates for a new heating system for the Community Center. This came after previous estimates revealed that the cost for the system may be more expensive than initially anticipated. Despite a potential increase in initial cost, the committee unanimously agreed that the savings over time from the new system would make up for the expense.
Committee members briefly discussed potential buildings within the town that could house photovoltaic solar panels. Along with reducing the cost of the town’s electricity usage, an added benefit of the panels could be to offset the costs that would arise from powering any new electric vehicle charging stations.
The committee agreed to continue to develop new ideas and projects that could make use of incoming grant money and develop cost-saving measures throughout the town.
The next Marion Energy Management Committee meeting is set to take place remotely over Zoom on Monday, October 26.
Marion Energy Management Committee
By Matthew Donato