The Marion Energy Management Committee welcomed Chief of Police Richard Nighelli to its public meeting on Monday night so they could discuss the possibility of a structural addition to the police-station parking lot that would allow solar panels to be placed over the area.
The benefits would not only include the energy created by the panels but would help shield police vehicles from the elements. The construction of the roof itself would aid in melting the snow quicker, freeing the panels to collect energy. The committee also noted there is potential to integrate electric-car charging stations into the solar structure, should the Marion Police wish to go in that direction.
EMC member Eileen Marum noted that a local college has done something similar and has been using the collected solar energy to help power campus buildings.
EMC member Bill Saltonstall expressed support for the potential installation of solar panels at the Marion Police station, noting that there are other public sites he believes would be a good fit for panels, including some of the schools and the Marion Fire Department. EMC member Jennifer Francis noted that there is potential funding available for projects like that from state agencies, but it would require that someone “dig through the weeds to get it.”
With that, the committee moved on to the Mass Energy Insight program and the upcoming Green Communities report. Saltonstall voiced his hesitance that Marion would hit its energy-reduction goal of 20 percent in five years’ time, which would qualify the town for certain funding levels. The library project is on schedule, meaning the EMC will be qualified to apply for the Green Communities competitive grants coming up.
Heat pumps were next on the docket, and Saltonstall reported that after a tour of the Cushing Community Center, things are on schedule, merely requiring some endzone paperwork to be submitted. Potential grant money allocation was discussed, as the committee is hopeful it can be used for additional maintenance and upgrades. The EMC is waiting on reports from the necessary “experts.”
Some projects, like the Town House heat-pump modifications have been stalled out due to budget issues. Committee members noted that the bid put in for the project was much higher than anticipated, leading to delays as alternate solutions are explored.
Before the committee moved on to new business, Chairperson Christian Ingerslev addressed the potential for the EMC to recommend to the Marion Select Board that the town ban the use of fossil fuels in new buildings. This would require new structures to be fully electric, rather than have any gas features, whether that be heat or stoves, making it easier for the buildings to integrate with green energy options such as solar and wind.
Marum noted that electric buildings overall are more energy efficient, so even in the interim when electricity is coming at least in part from fossil-fuel sources, the town’s overall energy consumption would still be lower, reducing Marion’s carbon footprint. The hope would be to extend this not just to municipal buildings but residential homes such as new housing developments currently in the vetting process.
When asked if there was a “carrot” involved in the program in order to incentivize those involved, Francis noted that the increased energy efficiency would reduce things like heating and electric bills, benefitting not just the environment but the individual. Marum went on to note that the heat, drought and ongoing hurricane season can put a strain on energy use, adding urgency to more sustainable energy sources.
“If it doesn’t happen now, it is going to happen later, that the government might step in and say, ‘Okay folks, it’s time to change it whether you like it or not, if we’re going to save the planet.’ So, if you go electric now and do it now, you don’t have that hanging over you later,” Ingerslev observed.
Marum agreed, saying, “I think it would be less expensive to do it now … because you’ve got to pay one price. But if you tried to go fossil fuel and then change it, you’re going to be paying twice for energy, whether it be heating or cooling. So … do it efficiently the first time.”
Tempering the discussion, Saltonstall pointed out that the electricity being supplied still comes from fossil fuels, adding the committee’s goals extend beyond just energy efficiency and into greener pastures. The EMC agreed to contact the Select Board in order to schedule a date to discuss such matters sometime in September, and the members agreed to start drawing up a concrete strategy and pitch.
The committee took a moment to discuss the Future Generation Wind Project, noting that there had been maintenance issues interrupting the potential output and exacerbated by the pandemic, but the agreement has been an overall success with power levels on the rise to match the growing needs of the town.
After brief discussion regarding updating the mission statement on the EMC’s website, which would necessitate approval from the Select Board, the committee adjourned.
The next meeting of the Marion Energy Management Committee is scheduled for Monday, September 26, at 5:00 pm.
Marion Energy Management Committee
By Jack MC Staier