[P]lans for a 1.2 MW solar project in Northfield will go a public vote after facing stiff resistance from a local coalition who say a public meadow is no place for an energy infrastructure project.
Northfield Electric Department submitted the proposal following a request from Vermont Public Power Supply Authority for member utilities to generate more solar within their service areas.
Jeff Schulz, town manager for Northfield, said that Cheney field — a meadow in the town forest — was chosen because it was the only suitable open area owned by the town.
However, the town’s conservation commission and other residents have pushed back on the project, saying that an “industrial” solar project does not belong in an area designated for recreation and ecological protection.
“We knew there might be some concern about that since it is the entrance to the town forest and it is a very beautiful, open meadow,” Schulz said.
The town’s selectboard met this week to discuss whether to vote on the project or put it to a public vote. It decided on the latter option, Schulz said, and a non-binding vote will be held in March to gauge public opinion on the matter.
The Cheney field project would provide around 7 percent of the town’s energy per year — a 70 percent increase in renewable energy production within town borders, according to the project overview.
The project could allow the town to set up a “micro grid” with batteries that store power for overcast days, said Schulz. Putting solar on the school or other town owned buildings would be more expensive and provide less power, he added.
“In terms of the spirit of the town forest, that will remain intact,” Schulz said, noting that members of the public would still be able to access the rest of the forest from Cheney field.
Opponents of the project have banded together as the Coalition for the Preservation and Protection of Northfield’s Cheney Field. A petition put forward by the group garnered 396 signatures as of July 27, according to the group’s facebook page.
The town’s conservation commission said in a position statement that solar panels do not belong in “the only legal access point to the town forest.”
Members of the commission noted that the town forest is designated as a natural area, not for commercial development.
“Under the proposed solar farm development, up to 6,000 solar panels would be installed in Cheney Field, covering a significant portion of the field, with a high fence around the perimeter of the array,” the commission said.
TJ Poor, senior power supply analyst for VPPSA, said that the Northfield project was in line with statewide efforts to reduce the amount of renewable energy credits local utilities have to buy to meet the state’s renewable energy standards.
The authority instead wants town utilities to develop local energy source that create a more sustainable — and affordable — electricity network.
“Solar is becoming more economic and we wanted to see in the request for proposal…whether it was to the point where it made economic sense to do solar,” he said.
VPPSA is partnering with Encore Renewable Energy to roll out at least three solar projects for member utilities, including in Northfield. It is also working on projects in Morrisville and Hardwick.
Poor said the authority is continuing to “scout out other sites” in Northfield, including locations on privately held land.