Sprouting Solar Gardens

Spring is in the air, but flowers and vegetables are not the only gardens growing in the Granite State. Eco entrepreneur Andrew Kellar, who founded Simply Green, a successful biofuel company in the Seacoast, is now tackling solar energy with his newest venture, NhSolarGarden.

Kellar launched Stratham-based NhSolarGarden in January on the heels of new legislation allowing group net metering, the basis for his new venture. NhSolarGarden is a community solar developer that works to establish solar arrays to power one location, and then share the value of the excess power with another location, as long as the same utility company services them.

Kellar works with financing groups to find farmers and other land owners, malls, warehouses or other building owners who are willing to lease land or roof space for these arrays. He then helps them with recruiting residents, businesses and municipalities to join these community solar gardens. The excess power generated by these arrays is sold back to the utilities, with the profit going to the financers as well as members of the solar garden, who save up to the equivalent of 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour on their monthly electric bill.  Participants receive a rebate check every six months.

“Community solar arrays are established so hosts can build an array and share that excess power with people who may not be able to afford it otherwise or don’t have the right setting for solar arrays,” Kellar says.

There is no fee to join a solar garden, though Kellar anticipates that will eventually change. “We have about one and a half megawatts of solar gardens in development in the Seacoast, Lakes Region and in the western part of the state, which would be capable of generating power for about 200 homes,” says Kellar, adding his company has just begun the permitting process in those communities. 

 “Our business plan is to go out there and find 100 rooftops around the state or 100 small parcels of land at farms and other properties that we can lease from the property owner and put a community solar garden there and invite the community to join,” Kellar says.“We anticipate the first solar community gardens to be up and running this summer.”

NhSolarGarden will generate revenue from developing these projects and then provide maintenance and member management services. So far about 100 people, mostly homeowners, have signed up to join a solar garden. For more information, visit www.Nhsolargarden.com.