CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Ben Hellerstein of Environment Massachusetts, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Superintendent Carol Woodbury and John Checklick, president of Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative speak in support of solar energy in front of the 715-kilowatt installation behind the Marguerite Small Elementary School.
WEST YARMOUTH – Thousands of solar panels behind the Marguerite E. Small Elementary School were the backdrop yesterday for a ceremony meant to encourage legislators to lift the net metering caps on solar energy production.
“It’s the middle of the summer and we should be doing everything we can to soak up the rays of the sun,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts. “State officials should look to communities like Barnstable and Yarmouth to see all of the environmental and economic benefits that solar brings.”
But the ceremony also highlighted the commitment of the Dennis-Yarmouth School District to solar power and its plans for a new pilot program on energy storage in the future.
The school district will save $100,000 a year through the solar panels, according to Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Superintendent Carol Woodbury, and this week the district learned it is the recipient of a $1.4 million state grant to participate in a pilot program for storage technology for solar power.
The storage facility will be at Dennis-Yarmouth High School, which was chosen because it also serves as a regional shelter in case of emergencies.
Woodbury, who invited Environment Massachusetts to have the ceremony in front of one of their solar arrays, said, “I think what we’re doing here is quite unique. At Dennis-Yarmouth we’re very interested in being good stewards of the environment on Cape Cod, saving taxpayer dollars and preparing our students for a successful future. All of these goals can be achieved through a solar project.”
The 715-kilowatt installation behind the Marguerite Small school went online earlier this year.
The nonprofit advocacy group Environment Massachusetts held the event, part of the “Soak Up The Sun” Solar Tour that includes similar events across the commonwealth, to focus on increasing the use of solar power.
“The best way to keep solar growing on Cape Cod and all across the state of Massachusetts is to remove any arbitrary limits that are standing in the way,” Hellerstein said.
In March, a cap on a key solar program known as net metering was reached for the more than 170 Massachusetts communities that receive their electricity from National Grid. Net metering allows solar panel owners to receive full compensation for the electricity they provide to the grid. As a result of the cap, many businesses, local governments and nonprofits hoping to install solar panels are no longer able to do so.
Eversource, the utility that serves communities on Cape Cod, has not yet reached its net metering caps. But Hallerstein said that failing to raise th caps now could cause a statewide slowdown in the solar industry and set a negative precedent for future efforts to promote the growth of solar. Environment Massachusetts believes the state can generate 20 percent of its electricity through solar within the next 20 years. The state now generates about two percent of its electricity through solar, but that number is growing rapidly, Hellerstein said.
The Dennis-Yarmouth solar installation is among the Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative’s 32 solar projects generating 28 megawatts of electric energy. The first year of operation of the projects will save participants $2.3 million in energy costs, and after 20 years, the installations are expected to have saved $65 million dollars.
John Checklick, president of the Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative, said, “Clean renewable energy benefits us all today and for years to come.” The cooperative is partnering with D-Y on the energy storage pilot program.
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