A plan seeking to double the number of solar panels at the Marion Department of Public Works (DPW) administrative office was shared during the Energy Committee meeting on Monday, August 31. The plan, proposed by chair Christian Ingerslev, would leverage federal subsidies to reduce the project cost by $80,000.
According to committee members, the expansion would support their goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Marion by giving the DPW a greater source of renewable energy. The current 25-kilowatt panels, which Ingerslev said were designed for such an expansion, are estimated to deliver payoff in energy savings after four years.
The proposal would use approximately $40,000 that the Town is set to receive through federal credit incentive programs from installing the DPW’s current solar panels for nearly $100,000.
Ingerslev argued a duplicate project would see the same incentives, costing a net $20,000. The upfront $60,000 would come from Marion’s free cash pool, which needs approval at the Town Meeting to be used. Free cash is money certified by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue as unneeded for bills, enabling it to be used as needed by municipalities.
There is no guarantee the free cash will be certified before the upcoming November 19 town meeting, according to Heather O’Brien, Marion finance director. Because some federal programs established under President Joe Biden are expiring soon, the array will need to be approved by the end of the year, according to Alanna Nelson, a committee member.
Ingerslev shared the plan with Marion’s Select Board on Tuesday, September 1. Chair John Hoagland said he would support the proposal appearing at Town Meeting, under the condition the $40,000 credit had been received and approved by the time of the meeting. Clerk Randy Parker said he opposed the purchase until the current solar panels’ impact was known — which began collecting power earlier that day.
During Monday’s Energy Management Committee meeting, Nelson also shared that an unnamed developer may be interested in constructing a 2.5-acre solar array by the town Transfer Station adjacent to the DPW building. Connecting the proposed array to Eversource’s grid was estimated to cost $1 million by the Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative in 2024.
The Select Board is authorized to lease the space for a solar array in a 2014 town meeting vote.
Marion Energy Management Committee
By Zakary Sarkarati