DALTON, MASS. — The Green Committee is working to obtain information from Eversource to inform the possibility of developing solar polar photovoltaic arrays in town.
The committee approved using $250 during its meeting last week for a pre-application to Eversource. This application will provide data that will inform how to develop a solar PV array in town.
The efforts to develop PV arrays is supported by the state Department of Energy Resources' Green Communities initiative and has been part of the town's master plan since 2016.
One of the master plan's goals in the infrastructure section is to improve the town's energy efficiency.
To minimize the tax impact of this goal, one of the objectives is to "support the development of solar farms on town property to reduce the cost of electricity for the town."
Upon submitting a pre-application, Eversource is required to send back a range of data within 10 business days otherwise it's free.
The town needs to determine how much it can load the two circuits available. There are two lines that come into Dalton — 18C BERKSHIRE and 19A DOREEN.
According to a Eversource representative, the company cannot provide that information without submitting the pre-application.
Eversource's DC Hosting Capacity map does not have all the information needed to inform future projects and is inaccurate because it represents people who submitted applications but may not have a live PV array, Green Committee member Todd Logan said later.
The Green Committee will use the Senior Center as a mock location for a 375-kilowatt solar array in its pre-application because the two circuits border the center. The 18C BERKSHIRE circuit is located on High Street and 19A DOREEN on Glennon Avenue. Dalton would have to determine which circuit to connect to.
Since the Green Committee is not proposing building a solar array on the land in front of the Senior Center, this gives the town "the opportunity to figure out which circuit would be best suited for an income generating and power generating PV array," Logan said.
The pre-application will provide data, including the substation transformer rating, the substation's circuit voltage and name, the phase available near the site, and the distance from the phase service if it's a single phase.
It also includes standards for the interconnection of distributed generation, including information on aggregate connected facilities that have not yet been interconnected, the interconnecting customer's network types and nearby feeders, and potential system constraints that may impact the proposed facility, among other things.
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Dalton Lift Still in Limbo; ADA Picnic Tables Coming
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The lift for Town Hall has run into a conflict, Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator Alyssa Maschino informed the committee on Thursday.
According to Hill Engineering, Town Hall could install a vertical lift in the Police Department's closet and go up into the town account's office. However, no one wants to give up the closet or office, she said.
The lift has been out of service since December because of safety concerns. In the meantime, people with disabilities can use the lift in the library to access the town hall.
Previous attempts by Garaventa Lift to repair it have been unsuccessful.
Replacing it in the same location is not an option because the new weight limit requirement went from 400 pounds to 650 pounds. Determining whether the current railings can hold 650 pounds is outside the scope of Garaventa's services to the town.
According to a Garaventa Lift representative, a new lift in the same location can be installed, but the railings need to be replaced, committee Chair Patrick Pettit said.
Committee member David Wasielewski asked if Hill Engineering considered installing an elevator on the outside of the building.
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