DERRY — Developers broke ground last month on a reclaimed brownfield site off Kendall Pond Road that will serve as a solar farm and save the community millions of dollars over the next 25 years.
Encore Renewable Energy of Burlington, Vermont, bid on the 10-acre plot – a former landfill – in 2021 to construct a 2.2 megawatt mounted solar farm, beating out six other bidders interested in the land. Once complete, the solar project will sell 100% of the electricity back to the Town of Derry, ERE said in a statement.
During the life of the contract, the solar farm will save the community more than $3.5 million. In addition to the energy and cost savings for the town, the project will also be built at no cost to the community with plans to expand and support additional infrastructure such as the town's school district.
The project has been in the works since 2020 when the Derry NH Net Zero Task Force was formed to explore and achieve effective solutions for reduced energy use and sustainable energy development in town.
By 2025, the task force hoped to help the Town Council meet the goal of 100% renewable energy, which the solar farm supports.
The task force is made up of professional engineers, business people, energy experts and representatives of key town groups dedicated to collaborating with the community to advocate for and support the needed state legislation to build solar farms.
In 2021, House Bill 315 was enacted to enable municipalities to build a solar farm up to 5 megawatts.
The solar project will adhere to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines to mitigate solar glare and electrical interference for surrounding homes.