BRUNSWICK

The town council moved ahead on its plan to help make solar power affordable Monday evening with Solarize Brunswick, allowing residents to buy into solar at a reduced bulk price either as single residences or co-oping into a solar farm.

According to Business Development Manager Linda Smith, the savings to residents and small businesses could be substantial, even eclipsing their current power bill. Not only would participants have the satisfaction of reducing their carbon footprint but the typical 4.8 kilowatt system could pay for itself in under 13 years plus a 30 percent federal tax credit.

Smith said participants should be able to install at a bulk price and that the systems plus the tax incentives could save residents up to $4,500 on the initial purchase. Together, she said some home and small business owners could find themselves with little to no power bill.

Smith said, however, people should keep energy use in mind when determining the scale of the solar system they need. She said the 4.8 kilowatt system might be fine for a family of four but may be overkill for a couple or single occupant. “If you scale that 4.8 kilowatt project and you only use 3.6, nobody writes you a check for the difference. It’s basically to the good for CMP,” she said.

The good news for smaller households is that they will pay less up front for their installation and still get 30 percent back in taxes.

Smith said, “We also put into this bid a community solar farm option,” that would not be connected to your house. “So, you make an investment into the community solar farm and that generation goes directly to the grid, it’s tracked by a company like CMP and then if you live in an apartment or you’re in a place that’s not conducive because you have only a north facing roof,” you can still reap the benefits of solar savings.

What’s better is that credit, unlike a rooftop solar array, follows the investor. Elderly participants who don’t expect to live in their current homes for another decade, or renters can invest and not worry about losing their investment when they leave. This, Smith said, is in contrast to the program implemented in Freeport which has no such provision.

Smith said the community farms are customizable, ‘just like you would do on your rooftop, you do it based on use.” Smith said she thinks the law caps the farms at 10 owners, “so one owner might end up putting in ‘X’ sized unit, they might take up to 50 percent because they have the demand and the other nine might take the remaining 50 percent because they don’t have as much demand.”

The next step in the process, according to Smith, is a request for proposals. In the next week, Smith said some 30 installers in the Brunswick area will be invited to bid. The committee will look at companies and prices and choose an installer.

Smith said that doesn’t mean people can’t use their own installer or system to receive the tax credit but simply that the winning bid will receive the list of people signed up to participate in the bulk project.

“We’ll put this out, they’ll have 60 days to turn it around. We’ll be doing outreach for the next 60 days,” Smith said, to drum up support and participants. The town will be working as a cheerleader of sorts for the program, handing over the reigns to the installer and customers once the list has been compiled.

THE NEXT STEP in the process is a request for proposals. In the next week, Business Development Manager Linda Smith said some 30 installers in the Brunswick area will be invited to bid. The committee will look at companies and prices and choose an installer.