Kuster Talks Solar, Renewable Economy in NH

U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, held a roundtable discussion yesterday at the Peterborough Solar Array to discuss efforts to expand New Hampshire’s leadership role in the renewable energy sector, according to a press release.

A strong advocate for creating more jobs and opportunity in the Granite State, Kuster heard from local stakeholders about how Congress can support New Hampshire’s growing renewables industry on the federal level.

“One of my top priorities in Congress is helping to support job creation in the Granite State, and here we have a growing industry ripe with opportunity for our workers,” said Kuster. “What’s more, we must work together to address rising energy costs, and investing in the renewable sector is a great place to start. I was proud to hear from local leaders about how we can best position the Granite State as a leader in this burgeoning field, and I look forward to continuing to work together to expand our growing role in the development of renewables.”

During the roundtable discussion, Kuster was joined by leaders in the state’s renewable energy sector, including representatives from the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, Chris Anderson from Borrego Solar, Mark Froling from Froling Energy, Charlie Niebling from Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC, Karen Cramton from NH PUC, Joe Harrison from Clean Energy Financing, and others. Roundtable participants outlined their own efforts to grow New Hampshire’s renewable energy economy and discussed additional steps that can be taken to help the industry grow. Kuster was also led on a tour of the Solar Array, and the developers and local Peterborough officials joined the roundtable to discuss how the Solar Array project can be used as a model for other towns across New Hampshire.

A member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Kuster has long advocated for the development of renewable energy in order to offset high energy costs, create more jobs for Granite State workers, and protect the environment. She has joined together with her colleagues from both sides of the aisle and worked to increase access to capital for sustainable energy projects, encourage the use of renewable biomass, and improve the energy efficiency of federal buildings.