More Solar Panels Coming to Braintree

More solar power is coming to Braintree this year.

Monday night, the school committee voted 5-2 to allow for solar panels to be installed on the roofs of Braintree High School and East Middle School. Committee members Tom Devin and Cyril Chafe voted against the motion.

As part of the deal, Ameresco will install the new panels and allow the Braintree Electric and Light Department (BELD) to lease the energy harnessed from the panels for residential use. BELD GM William Bottiggi said that over 400 homes, apartments, and condos will be able to access electricity from the panels, which will produce 1.3 megawatts of power.

Residents who choose solar power will be able to lock in their rate of 14 cents a kilowatt for the next 15 years.

“There are not a lot of people who want to put a solar array on their roofs. What we can do is take slices of the panels and dedicate it to residents and lock in your electric rate for 15 years,” Bottiggi said.

The panels will be owned, operated, and maintained by Ameresco. They will use a weight system to keep the panels on the roof and require no drilling or roof work.

In exchange for allowing the solar panels on the two town buildings, Braintree will receive $15,000 a year which will be allocated to the school district.

Voting against the proposal, Devin questioned why the solar panels were not going to be used to lower the high school’s electric bill. Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan said that the funds received for housing the panels could be used to address the issue.

Sullivan added that federal credits for solar panels were expiring this year, making the exact same project more expensive if it was delayed or put off to 2016.

Facing a tight schedule, the committee went ahead and voted to avoid the risk of poor weather during the installation process.

“I know I had some concerns, but I feel like a lot of the questions I had have been answered. This is something we have to vote on tonight. If we vote down we’re possibly losing out on $15,000 for the school,” Chairman David Ringius said.

The panels are the latest push towards solar by the town. Last year, 4,160 solar panels spread over 7 acres at the old Ivory Street landfill started providing enough power for 850 homes.

The new project is expected to cost about $1.3 million, if not less. The price is about the same as the Ivory Street project.