Scituate eyes 15 acres of solar panels

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Energy consumption continues to be a hot topic in Scituate, as the town is looking to install 15 acres of solar panels on the current landfill, a project that would provide 30 percent of all power for the town.

At a Board of Selectmen meeting last week, selectmen discussed the possibility of the project, which would require a warrant at special town meeting to lease the land for up to 20 years.

The selectmen seemed enthusiastic, yet noted that although nine proposals had been submitted for the construction of the panels, the project itself was not set in stone.

“I understand that this isn’t binding, but it seems like we’re taking every single step to make this possible, when we aren’t even sure if it's what we want to do yet,” selectman Anthony Vignani said at the meeting.

Although the land had many proposed uses, other recreational uses for the land are not currently feasible, as the land has not settled enough to be viable in that way, said Albert Bangert, head of public works in Scituate.

Selectmen also discussed other uses for the land, including sports fields. However, the town does not have the money to build sports fields on that location. Adding solar panels could free up money to pay for fields elsewhere.

"The savings [from energy consumption] could then be used to buy land for recreational purposes that is much easier to develop,” Bangert said.

According to Bangert, the turbines would save the town $150,000-$250,000 over the next 20 years.

Bangert also stressed that solar panels were much less controversial than wind turbines, as they are low to the ground and don’t generate any noise.

Similar to the wind turbine in Scituate, the lease for the project will have to be passed at town meeting before going through a series of votes regarding the contract and the installation company.

The proposal includes recreational walking trails in addition to a picnic area.