Renewable Energy Working Group Meeting Minutes 2/16/22
Meeting date:
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Minutes of Monterey Renewable Energy Working Group
Meeting at Monterey Community Center, 468 Main Road, Monterey, 2/16/2022
Attending in person:
Peter Murkett (Chairperson)
Chris Aidun
Chris Erickson
Peter Grealish
Dennis Lynch
Rob Hoogs
Sean Tyron
Attending remotely:
John Prusinski
Matt Vella
Agenda:
• Update on REWG membership
• Discussion of process to achieve rooftop or ground-mount PV for town buildings
• Update on large-scale PV in Monterey
• Review of minutes from meeting on 1/31/22
Chairman Peter Murkett called the meeting to order at 5:06 PM
Chris Aidun, Rob Hoogs, John Prusinski, Peter Grealish and Peter Murkett have all agreed to official membership in the REWG. Peter Grealish and Peter Murkett have already been sworn in by the Monterey Town Clerk.
By general agreement, the Group’s short-term focus is solar panels associated with municipal structures and land.
Incentives for residential renewable energy installations such as solar panels are typically in the form of tax rebates, which are not available to a tax-free municipality. Third-party agreements are a common way of addressing this issue. They bring together a town with rooftops or land to lease for renewable power generation; a commercial, energy-producing entity (which owns and installs solar panels, say, and sells the generated power on the market; and the local utility responsible for power distribution (national grid in Monterey). The commercial entity reaps the tax benefits.
The Group has been told that some PV installers are reluctant to engage in municipal PV projects because third party entities use their own specs, hardware, and engineering. The town’s procurement process requires detailed specifications for equipment and installation.
We need to identify options for the town to fund engineering, hardware, installation, and maintenance of solar panels at town buildings, including a detailed, legal procurement process.
Currently the Green Communities initiative does not provide funding for PV projects. Emily Lange of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is preparing Monterey’s Green Communities application. Ms. Lange is to meet with members of the REWG at 10:00 am, February 23, 2022, location TBD.
Peter Murkett briefly spoke about the SMART Program as a source of funding but cautioned the process is complex.
By general agreement among members, a qualified consultant is be needed to navigate the bureaucratic path. The Group discussed drafting an article for the 2022 Town Warrant requesting funds to hire a consultant. Recommended energy consultants who have worked in South Berkshire are Beth Greenblatt (Beacon Integrated Solutions), Stu Esnoff, and Chris Vreeland (who worked with the town of Otis).
A motion passed to conclude the meeting at 6:30 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Peter Murkett, Chair
Monterey Renewable Energy Working Group