By 2030, the utility company Eversource wants all of its operations to be carbon neutral.
Through one program, they are asking neighboring communities – Fairhaven, Acushnet, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester – to be a part of the first steps toward that movement.
Ryan Earle and Maija Benjamins, representatives from Eversource, met with Marion Select Board members on April 19 to discuss these plans.
Earle and Benjamins informed the board that it and other towns would be part of a study that will cause consumer bills in these five communities to spike by 25 cents. Revenue generated from this and other sources will allow solar developers to offset their costs toward developing solar energy. All Eversource customers in these communities will be billed the extra 25 cents each month.
With more solar and clean energy available, consumers in these towns will also be able to tap into the system to offset energy bills, according to Earle and Benjamins.
Benjamins said Eversource is working with the state and the federal government for funding and support to not only increase the number of solar projects but to increase the offshore and other wind projects.
Eversource plans on using some of this revenue to make $119 million in infrastructure improvements, including its transformers, lines and substations.
“We’ll be doing a lot of work on the poles and wires you see in the streets,” Earle said.
The program is estimated to generate 348 megawatts in solar energy.
“Electricity rates will decrease when we are no longer relying on things that are driven by gas and fuel and how much is being used. Solar and offshore wind will be a consistent source of energy,” Benjamins said.
Benjamins said the presence of electric cars has shifted the dynamic, calling on more electricity from the grid.
Select Board member Toby Burr said there is one solar project in town that is stalling due to interconnection fees.
Earle said the program is designed to fast-track some of these projects, allowing more clean energy to come into the community.
By 2050, Eversource and the state Department of Energy Resources hope to dramatically increase offshore and onshore wind usage, as well as solar.
In fact, Benjamins said Eversource is looking at land in Mattapoisett for a wind-energy opportunity.
Select Board members asked for period updates on this program and the project.
In other board news, the meeting last week took less than an hour as the board conducted routine business.
Shelly Richins was appointed to the Historical Commission and Select Board member Norm Hills was appointed as the board representative on the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD.)
Officials announced that the annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 8, at Sippican Elementary School and the Select Board’s “pre-Town Meeting” will be held on Tuesday, May 2, at the Music Hall. Both meetings are scheduled for 6:45 pm.
Marion Select Board
By Jeffrey D. Wagner