Town to Explore Solar Panels

Concord may be saving some energy in the future due to the town's decision to grant a long term lease for property to be used for solar energy. However the exact site has yet to be determined.      

A preliminary analysis according to Light Board Chairman Bob Kusik shows  the sites chosen would be able to produce one to two megawats on 10 to 14 acres of land. He said that the town intended to enter into a long term lease with solar power providers which would last 20 years. Companies had been previously uninterested because under the law the longest the town could provide a lease of the land was around 10 years.       

At present the town is considering several sites. One is the wastewater treatment site on Bedford Street. Another is on the land of the Concord Municipal Light Plant headquarters on Elm Street, while others being considered are the Ammendolia site which was originally meant for ball fields.

Town Manager Chris Whelan says that these projects would be quiet and not be high in the sky like the Cape Wind project on Nantucket which local residents have resisted. He says that in the near future there is going to to be a public hearing to determine if there was no better site and each specific piece of land will be considered in depth.       

Whelan said that the town is "very pleased" with the solar power panels that have been installed on the grounds of MCI-Concord outside the wall  behind the south east corner. The site according to Whelan provides 30 kilowatts of solar power and is a good suplement to the existing power being generated.

He said that due to its success the department is considering expanding the solar power project to the Northeastern Correctional Center across the street along Barrett's Mill Road. He said that the town has received $150,000 matching  federal stimulus funds for the solar power project although this is $10,000 short of the the $160,000 the town of Concord has provided.

The roof of the Willard school has also been chosen as a site to install solar power but nothing as of yet has been built there.     

The town was also considering installing solar panels at a landfill across from Walden Pond but it seeks to avoid a fight with pond conservationists who are buying up land around the pond. Walden Pond is part of a state park.

The companies being used to install and maintain the solar power panels have not been disclosed at this point.