Recent Media Attention in NH
NON LEADER
NH Town Saving Money
with Solar
arma an
‘of ile
ntwood municipal butlc
solar panels that power Bre
OL
By JASON SCHREIBER
Septernber 1, 2017
‘ ewly
ny skies, a1
QOD — Under sun} ‘atwood
wie soe way ina field next to ane
: ned on for
Gre station be an providing enough poweal
Theet the demands of Brent ds my
ildings- e field began
buildin lar panels a oO oe the corner of October 10, 2017
qi i e fire
popping uP orate ene er the past few weeks a6 ‘The Nashua Soup Kitehen & Shelter, which
Routes 125 and 1 re ousands in tax provides food and shelter to thousands of local
’s effort to 5av residents in need, is set to become the first solar-
art of the ton oad owered nonprofit organization in Nashua. The
, ra .
dollars dawn ee system is large enough t0 Rashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter (NSKS) hoard
“The fact rs municipal recently contracted with ReVision Energy for the
the entire town of BentWOCT | sames installation and operation of a 39.3-kilowatt. solar
e * s 3. 2
cover te gis certainly notable, Set vision array, augmenting its longstanding commitment to
electric costs 16 Mons manager for Re energy efficiency and sustainability while saving
Hasselbeck, ope snstalled the array. thousands of dollars in electricity costs per year.
that
Energy, the company Ty at the 2016 town ‘According to NSKS Executive Director Michael
‘Talk of going solar ropos Reinke, “The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter is
eng when resident Jane Byme pro tat the committed to being a good steward of the earth's
meeting ¥! weren't ready to support. resources, We feed the hungry and shelter those
idea, Residents to study the feasibility. without a home. Our mission is possible only because
time, but they W8 the town. ed to our volunteers, our supporters, and, as an
heer further investé! tion, * igned organization, we are able to direct the generous
Aft ct this year and SIEM bo hi th d h
eh the Prove : sunty of the earth to those in need. Partnering wit
move ahead with ne ReVision Energy, ich has ReVision Energy, we will model best practices and
go-year contract Wt as devote even more of our donor’s dollar to helping
.e in Brentwood, ywy’S 80! is mect the most basic needs of our community.”
an ott ‘Allison, a member of thet tow In the tae ‘The solar project will include 131 solar pancls
Maloolm Miso serves on the WUaGet |, that would net mounted on both flat and pitched root sections of the
ommittee idan’ have to DAY to pay the NSKS facility at 2 Quincy St. facility in downtown
c : town didn taxes to P' q ity
committee, said the town § Through it Nashua. The system also includes two SolarEdge
its mstal the . y inverters, which will convert direct current (DC)
ray or its inst lation. but will pay i hich will ai 0
sola 2yyision ENeTBY will own thee after six town wil 0 electricity generated by the array into alternating
jon to purcha: dlowatt hor current (AC) used by the facility. A web-based
town will have the Sane et ieon said monitoring platform will allow the nonprofit to track
soni in 8 ‘ ‘ ime.
Srareat eset gente 360000 watts; OTR gen Se epee
The a icity annwally. The Soler PT Allison sat save roughly $176,282 over the life of the system,
Lowatts of elect , the town’s e solar # offsetting a significant share of its clectrie load. The
Kilowi Soy the grid to ford
will feed back into the EFT." pversource. ‘allison 84 array is expected to produce approximatcly 43,080
0 electric bil kilowatt hours of clean energy each year, which is
1 $26,001 f power 107
ar on anid that te TOU OT gh to ars but coe equivalent to offsetting more than 45,000 pounds of
wil e aa ears, he Sate carbon pollution.
enerated by the solar ae e cost of providing ‘million in ent ReVision Energy will own the system through a
ex about 75 percent oF j Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NSKS. The
caeetricit to all town buildings- ! agreement is an innovative financing tool that allows
el
nonprofits to benefit from solar power on a cashflow-
neutral basis. Under the terms, the nonprofit agrees
to purchase electricity from ReVision Energy at a
fixed rate below its current cost of electricity. At year
seven of the agreement, the nonprofit wil] have the
option to purchase the system at a significant
BISINESSNH
Nashua Soup Kitchen to Become First
Solar-Powered Nonprofit, Save $176,282
discount, enabling the facility to generate free solar
power for decades to come.
© PPA arrangement gives the nonprofit the
ability to leverage the economic and environmental
benefits of solar power while allowing ReVision
Energy the opportunity to make community
investments that align with its core values of creating
positive change in the world.
Going solar is isn't the first step NSKS has taken
to save money and be a responsible steward of the
environment. After a $2.7 million capital campaign.
NSKS completed renovations of a former VFW
building in 2014 including comprehensive weather-
ization and other energy efficiency measures. Its food
pantry and community kitchen provide a means to
reduce food waste and encourage the consumption of
healthy and nutritious food while setting an example
for the larger community.
From a financial perspective, the solar array will
also benefit the NSKS bottom line, Its current budget
includes more than $20,000 a year in electric costs.
‘An investment in solar energy allows NSKS to lower
its energy costs and devote more funding to its
primary tmission of providing food and shelter while
reducing its impact on the environment. The project
has also received a $7,000 challenge grant. trom the
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, which is
expected to be matched by the Nashua Soup Kitchen
& Shelter’s fundraising compaign.
nN Pai, ~
ves Jack ‘rector og; ins
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ter 40 joan the installa ‘ eed energy. Seives as g hedge ‘
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will be paid bach tt atter of IF there sq oe28 i Your enon so PY Diving a anh
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mash th tons rey course of 3 when nate the brute} aa even P se lor years.
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A! REVISION ENERGY
