Solar developer addresses lingering concerns

While concerns over the safety and value of a massive solar installation at the former Pine Street landfill continue to be raised publicly, town officials and the project’s developer, Southern Sky Renewable Energy, both maintain high hopes for the project as it nears completion in the coming weeks.

The 5.6-megawatt solar farm, consisting of 19,800 panels spread across 15 acres of the 40-acre capped landfill, will be the largest solar photovoltaic facility in New England when finished, according to the Southern Sky website.

Aerial photo of Canton solar facility (SouthernSkyRenewable.com)

An aerial photograph posted on the website on June 24 shows what appears to be a nearly completed installation, with dozens of solar arrays aligned in rows and bearing more than a slight resemblance to the state of Texas.

In terms of a final completion date, Southern Sky principal Frank McMahon said it will depend on a few different factors, most notably the availability of NStar, which still has to finish one piece of construction on the site and must also perform a “witness test” before the facility can begin producing power.

“We’re hopeful that the [witness] test can be scheduled within the next two to three weeks,” said McMahon, “and if all goes well, we could begin to see the beneficial use of the facility by the latter part of July or early August.”

McMahon also addressed some of the allegations made against the project, including claims by the electrical workers’ union, IBEW Local 103, that the contractor employed non-licensed electricians to install the metal racking system in violation of Massachusetts law.

McMahon emphatically denied any wrongdoing on the part of Southern Sky or its contractor, Gemma Renewable Power, while insisting that the project has a “terrific safety record” and that “every single piece of electrical work has been conducted by a Massachusetts-licensed electrician and approved by the town’s wiring inspector.”

Local 103, however, refuses to budge from its stance that parts of the project were constructed illegally and that, as a result, the entire facility poses a safety hazard to local residents. The union, which is responsible for the website CantonSolarExposed.com, had previously mailed two postcards warning residents of a “time bomb” in Canton and accusing Gemma of shoddy workmanship.

As further evidence of the latter, the union points to a recent investigation by the state Department of Environmental Protection, in which DEP officials learned that the contractor had installed vertical grounding rods through the cap of the landfill prior to consulting with MassDEP. A follow-up call placed to a DEP spokesman confirmed that this had occurred and that the DEP required that the grounding rods be “disconnected and the final cover system (cap) be repaired.”

According to Sean Callaghan, business agent for Local 103, this “penetration into the cap of a methane-filled landfill alone could have created serious hazards for everyone in the immediate area.”

“If this poor decision to drive a metal rod designed to carry electricity went undetected and the site was producing energy, the damage could have been horrific for the entire town of Canton,” added Callaghan. “But you get what you pay for; let’s hope the repairs were done at a higher standard of quality assurance.”

From McMahon’s vantage point, however, the issue with the grounding rods was “insignificant” and boiled down to a simple difference of opinion. He said the company had “mountains” of electrical engineering data to support its methodology and “at no point was there any kind of safety issue whatsoever.”

“None of this rises to that level,” said McMahon. “There was nothing that could even be remotely considered [unsafe] from an electrical engineering point of view. None of that is true.”

A spokesman in the DEP’s public affairs office did not respond directly to inquiries about safety. He said that the issue was “identified promptly and corrected prior to the activation of the facility,” while adding that the DEP plans to conduct a final inspection before the installation is connected to the electrical grid.

Reached by telephone last weekend, Selectmen Chairman Bob Burr said the board was “not familiar with any ongoing safety concerns,” although he did say that selectmen would “definitely be involved” if there was any danger to the citizens of Canton.

Burr also commented briefly on a recent letter to the editor that appeared in the Citizen on June 21, in which Canton resident Ed Kodzis, who has years of experience in the electrical industry, questioned whether the agreement struck between the selectmen and the developer was in fact a good one for the town.

The deal requires that the town purchase power from Southern Sky for the next 20 years, and in return the town will receive “net metering credits” from NStar for any electricity it does not consume.

In short, Kodzis is worried that the town will be paying too much for electricity — far more than the declining market rates — while not receiving nearly enough in credits from the utility.

Burr, for his part, agrees that the town took a calculated risk and he acknowledged that the deal might not be as enticing as they had hoped if rates continue to fall. Yet they also agreed that it was a risk worth taking, given the “macro perspective” on energy costs at the time, plus the fact that the town is due to receive more than $7.5 million over 20 years just for leasing the land.

As for the specific points outlined by Kodzis, Burr said selectmen spoke to their consultant and he agreed to appear at the board’s July 10 meeting to review the concerns “line by line.”

Furthermore, Burr stressed that selectmen were appreciative of Kodzis’ letter and they greatly value his opinion as a “concerned citizen with experience in the field.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jul 6 2012. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.