Sharon solar project at crossroads

SHARON — First Selectman Casey Flanagan attended a meeting held by the Board of Finance on Tuesday, May 21, to discuss an update on the ongoing project to install solar energy panels on property adjacent to Sharon Center School.

The project has come to a halt with Connecticut Green Bank determining that the school’s current air-source heat pump is in danger of being damaged if the project moves forward, as the system is not equipped to handle the peak load of the heat pumps.

Several options were considered on how to move forward, including getting the original engineer for the school to communicate with Connecticut Green Bank. The electricity could also be upgraded from 1,200 amps to 1,600 for an estimated sum of $100,000, or a breaker could be added to the system for $40,000.

There is the possibility of reducing the system size, wherein the heat pumps would exclusively be used for air conditioning.

Another suggestion was reaching out to Emphase, a company specializing in energy management technology that offers solar energy for businesses that has a program titled the Connecticut Energy Storage Solutions Program.

Flanagan stated that this halt in development was “not good” and did not leave him with “a great deal of confidence in the project.”

Resident Anne Stettner attended the meeting to express her displeasure with how the solar project has progressed since the town initially voted in it favor, stating, “I understand we want to get away from fossil fuels, but not at the cost of a mistake that won’t end up saving anyone any money.”