THE HINGHAM LANDFILL

 HMLP regularly receives calls from solar developers inquiring about building solar arrays at the landfill and on Town owned buildings.  There have been on and off discussions between HMLP and The Town several times over the years regarding a possible solar array at the landfill. For various reasons nothing has come to fruition.  As recently as spring 2014 The Town was approached by a developer who made a proposal for installing a solar array at the landfill and on the middle and high schools. Meetings were held between the developer, the DPW, HMLP, the School Department and the Town Administrator. The process went no further than having several meetings held.

 There are municipal lighting plants in Massachusetts which have had solar arrays constructed on their town’s facilities. Braintree is one of them. Other munis and their Towns are currently working with developers.  This past fall the Hingham Energy Action Committee, HMLP’s General Manager is a member of the committee, reached out to the Town Administrator to see if there was interest in having a solar array installed at the landfill.

 The concept that was being presented for consideration was one that has been used successfully in other Towns. The developer would build the array, sell all the electric output to the light plant and make PILOT payments to The Town for the use of their infrastructure.  The 1 st step in this process is to get permission from The Town to use the landfill for this purpose.

ARTICLE _ HMLP Solar Project Article _: Will the Town authorize, but not require, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 40, § 15A and all other applicable laws, the Board of Selectmen to enter into an agreement to transfer, in part, the care, custody, management and control, from the Board of Selectmen to the Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant of a portion of a parcel of land consisting of the surface of the capped landfill being located on Town of Hingham Assessor’s Map , and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into all agreements and execute any and all instruments as may be necessary to effect said partial transfer of said parcel of land, on such terms and conditions as the Board of Selectmen deems in the best interest of the town, for the limited purpose of allowing the Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant to enter into a License, Lease and/or other Agreement with a third party for the construction, operation and maintenance of a solar generating facility on said parcel of land to generate electricity for distribution by the Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, or act on anything relating thereto?

What is necessary to move the project forward?  Town Meeting votes to pass Warrant article  Per Town Counsel, HMLP and Town will sign an agreement. This agreement will clarify who is liable for what. HMLP will be liable for damage to landfill from solar facility. The Town will be responsible for continuing to operate and maintain the capped landfill.  HMLP issues a request for proposals to interested developers.  HMLP negotiates a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the selected developer. HMLP will buy all of the output of the facility for a fixed period of time subject to certain terms and conditions. The developer will make fixed tax payments to the Town. HMLP will draft the necessary agreements since it is the entity buying all the output and interconnecting the facility to its system.  The Developer will permit the facility. Solar facilities may be subject to local zoning approval and Massachusetts DEP approval if built on a capped landfill. The risk of permitting and constructing the facility is on the developer, not HMLP and its ratepayers. If it can’t get permitted, it won’t be built.

What is necessary to move the project forward? What is necessary to move the project forward?  Town Meeting votes to pass Warrant article

What is necessary to move the project forward? What is necessary to move the project forward?  Per Town Counsel, HMLP and Town will sign an agreement. This agreement will clarify who is liable for what. HMLP will be liable for damage to landfill from solar facility. The Town will be responsible for continuing to operate and maintain the capped landfill.

What is necessary to move the project forward? What is necessary to move the project forward?  HMLP issues a request for proposals to interested developers.

What is necessary to move the project forward? What is necessary to move the project forward?  HMLP negotiates a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the selected developer. HMLP will buy all of the output of the facility for a fixed period of time subject to certain terms and conditions. The developer will make fixed PILOT payments to the Town. HMLP will draft the necessary agreements since it is the entity buying all the output and interconnecting the facility to its system.

What is necessary to move the project forward? What is necessary to move the project forward?  The Developer will permit the facility. Solar facilities may be subject to local zoning approval and Massachusetts DEP approval if built on a capped landfill. The risk of permitting and constructing the facility is on the developer, not HMLP and its ratepayers. If it can’t get permitted, it won’t be built.

What is the business relationship between HMLP and Town?  There really is not a “business” relationship. The article as proposed, per Town Counsel, transfers custody and control of the surface of the landfill from the Town to HMLP for the sole purpose of putting a solar facility on it. If HMLP can’t reach acceptable agreements with the developer or the developer can’t get the facility permitted, no solar array gets built.  Town Counsel has said an agreement must be reached which releases the Town from any liability for damage to the landfill from construction of the array or from the panels being sited on it.  HMLP will have no responsibility for normal landfill operations and maintenance.

What is the business relationship between HMLP and the developer?  HMLP will negotiate a contract whereby it will buy all of the output of the facility. This is something HMLP and its agents do all the time as a regular course of operating.  There will also be a license or lease to the developer that will give them the right to put the panels on the landfill. The developer will own and operate the solar facility.  All of HMLP’s obligations under these agreements are contingent upon the developer getting the necessary permits to build and operate the solar facility.

What input will citizens have on permitting process? Citizens will have the same input they have on any other proposed construction under the permitting processes.

How big will it be? Since there is no agreement in place it is impossible to say with certainty. There is certainty in saying IT WILL ONLY BE SITED ON THE TOP OF THE LANDFILL AND NOT ON THE SIDES! Each time HMLP has had any discussions with any developer there has been mutual agreement that building on the slopes is impractical for both construction and financial reasons. I have received 3 rough estimates on how large an array can be sited there: one capable of producing approx. 600kw. HMLP’s total load in 2015 was approximately 208m kWh. A 600kw array could produce 800k kWh annually.

Where will it sit on the landfill and what will it look like?

How far from houses will it be? per Google Earth, the closest will be 617’ How far from houses will it be? per Google Earth, the closest will be 617’

How much higher is the top of the landfill from houses? per Massachusetts’ GIS and field measurements, at least 40’ or the height of a 4 story building How much higher is the top of the landfill from houses? per Massachusetts’ GIS and field measurements, at least 40’ or the height of a 4 story building

Per Google Earth, where the following pictures and houses are located relative to the landfill

View of the landfill from 8 Ridgewood

Rendering of the landfill from 8 Ridgewood w/ trees

Rendering of the landfill from 8 Ridgewood, no trees

View of the landfill from 10 Ridgewood looking at 12

View of the landfill from right side of 26 Ridgewood

View of the landfill from right side of 32 Ridgewood

Rendering of the landfill from right side of 32 Ridgewood w/ trees

Rendering of the landfill from right side of 32 Ridgewood, no trees

View of the landfill from front of 46 Ridgewood

Rendering of the landfill from front of 46 Ridgewood w/ trees

Rendering of the landfill from front of 46 Ridgewood, no trees

What do solar panels look like up close?

QUESTIONS?

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