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Northfield voters OK solar panel system for the Community School
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NORTHFIELD - Voters approved a $468,510 solar panel system for the Northfield Community School by a vote of 293 to 129, according to School District Business Administrator Linda Albright.
The panels will be placed on the roof of the elementary and middle schools. A similar solar panel system for Mainland Regional High School was approved by district voters in April.
"We're pleased that it passed," Albright said. "We think it's a good project."
The state will contribute 40 percent of the project, or $187,404, in debt service aid. The district will also receive a state Renewable Energy rebate of $50,000.
The annual tax impact for a property assessed at $100,000 will be an additional $1.54 each year, officials have said.
"You have to look at the financial benefit over the long term," Albright said earlier this month. "We'll be saving money on utility bills, and the project is projected to pay for itself after seven or eight years. It's also a possible source of revenue beyond that."
Solar Renewable Energy Credits, or SREC, sold through public auction, could generate about $21,000 in revenue annually over a 15-year term, according to a district statement. In addition, selling energy back into the electric grid at an approximate cost of $0.17 per kilowatt could save an additional $8,925 annually.
"There's also an educational benefit to it," Albright had said. "We'd install a kiosk in the building, and students would be able to use that to learn about the (solar) technology."
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Posted in Atlantic, Breaking on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:15 pm
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