The town of Craftsbury expects to cover about a third of its municipal energy needs with a new solar tracker. The 20-kilowatt panel recently installed at the town garage was funded by a payment made to the town by Green Mountain Power, which placed 21 turbines atop nearby Lowell Mountain. The select board opposed that wind project. But Amelia Fritz, chair of the Craftsbury Energy Committee, says voters decided last March to use the $25,000 GMP payment for solar power.
Fritz says a growing number of businesses and homes are also harnessing the sun.
“We have a number of residential trackers and this is our municipal one so we are setting a very good example, I think, I’m hoping, and it will become and is becoming more and more affordable,” says Fritz.
Fritz says the town hopes eventually to power all of its buildings with solar energy, and would also like to add more trackers that could supply power to local homes.
“We’re looking for some properties that someone might be willing to lease or allow us to use so people who don’t necessarily have a good location for solar in their yard could become a member,” she said.
Fritz says she personally favors small scale solar projects over commercial wind towers, but is glad the GMP payment is being put to good use.
