Mascoma Meadows, a 50-unit resident-owned manufactured-home cooperative in Lebanon, N.H., partnered with ReVision Energy's Brentwood-based team to install a 132.48-kilowatt (DC) solar array, which saves each of the co-op's participating low- and moderate-income households an estimated $270 annually. The ground-mounted array consists of 384 solar panels and was turned on at the end of 2018. The project is expected to generate 176,507 kilowatt hours of electricity annually over its lifetime.
The total project's cost was partly covered by a grant from the Renewable Energy Fund, managed by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC). In addition to the PUC grant, the project was funded through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The PPA enabled the Mascoma Meadows co-op to access the long-term economic and environmental benefits of solar electricity, while providing an opportunity our investors who share our values to partake in a project with strong longterm impact in their community and our environment. After five years, Mascoma Meadows can purchase the array, at a discount.
Via Granite Geek : Thanks to a combination of a grant, donated land, and social impact investors, a resident-owned mobile home community will save money on electricity bills with solar power.
"The model developed for Mascoma Meadows, leveraging the cooperative structure and tax incentives, helps break some of the barriers to lower-income residents owning solar," said Christa Shute, Vermont Law School's Energy Fellow for Climate Justice. "The exciting part of this project is creating a model not just for New Hampshire resident-owned communities, but for ROCs across the country. The VLS Energy Clinic looks forward to seeing Mascoma Meadows into production and finding the next ROC to benefit from community-owned solar."
