State’s first energy circuit rider assists small towns develop and finance energy projects
As the first energy circuit rider, Melissa Elander helped transform Stratford with a wide range of energy-efficient and renewable energy projects. (Courtesy photo) When she began her new job in 2019, Melissa Elander was dogged in her pursuit to help small municipalities in the North Country embrace renewable energy and energy-efficiency options. For a while, she had minimal results as folks didn’t pick up at first what her mission was and what she offered.
Then, persistence met opportunity when Elander connected with the town of Stratford, population 699, located in Coos County on the Connecticut River. Elander joined forces with town administrator Suzanne Goulet and a receptive select board to transform Stratford with a wide range of energy-efficient and renewable energy projects. Major municipal solar arrays, funded through federal grants, will help the town cut its energy costs dramatically in the coming years and help it reduce its carbon footprint.
With little outside publicity, Stratford has positioned itself as a case study of what is possible when a town decides to change, and what can be accomplished with expert assistance.
“For Stratford, the direct out-of-pocket advantage of going solar was an easy sell. Under current conditions, the amortization of the initial cost is surprisingly short and the long-term savings are very agreeable,” said Stratford select board member Clayton Macdonald. “Combine that with the reduction in fossil fuel use and, consequently, the reduction in climate heating CO2, and the town had a very easy public policy choice.”
“I like to say that Stratford is a town punching above its weight,” said Elander about the town’s clean energy transformation.
What is an energy circuit rider?
Elander, a Northern New Hampshire native and Plymouth State University graduate (biology), worked as an energy auditor and weatherization project manager before becoming the first energy circuit rider with Concord-based Clean Energy NH.
As an energy circuit rider Elander acts as both a liaison and a no-cost staff expert for communities in Coos County such as Shelburne, Stratford, Whitefield, Columbia, Gorham, Pittsburg, Bethlehem, Randolph, and Colebrook. She assists municipalities and schools in planning, financing and implementing energy projects that reduce operating costs and improve sustainability, and lends critical expertise, helping towns like Stratford navigate the often-daunting paths to applying for and securing federal grants from a number of sources.
Sam Evans-Brown, the executive director of Clean Energy NH, said the Energy Circuit Rider program was created as a pilot project in 2019 to address these issues.
Billions of dollars are available, and Evans-Brown emphasized there was also a practical fiscal reason for towns to utilize experts like Elander.
“The Inflation Reduction Act (2022) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity for communities to make investments that will save money and emissions,” he said.
“However, it’s not easy for small towns to access a lot of this funding, and resource-strapped communities will need help to roll this money out. My fear is that if we don’t invest in people who can help communities go get these federal grants and loans, that New Hampshire will once again miss out on getting our fair share of our federal tax dollars sent back to us.”
Elander is having an impact. According to the latest figures from Clean Energy NH, Elander has helped shepherd more than 30 projects and helped communities such as Stratford receive more than $500,000 in incentives and grants, leading to investments of more than $2 million in clean energy projects in the North Country.
Stratford takes advantage
“The town has been on board through warrant articles and using our capital reserve fund,” said Goulet, Stratford town administrator. The town learned as far back as 2016 the financial difference energy efficiency could make. The town reconfigured all its street lights with LED lamps through an energy efficiency program with local utility Eversource. “Before, our annual bills were $8,200, and they are $3,400 today,” she said.
Goulet also detailed other Stratford projects: “Our 20-kilowatt, roof-mount solar was completed in 2021 along with LED replacement lighting of our town hall and fire station. This was a 75/25 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and a rebate program through Eversource. It cost the town $9,500. The savings on three of our municipal accounts is $3,200 yearly.
“We installed a small solar array to power a water mixer in 2022. This helps with ice freezing in the water tank and stagnant water. This was paid for by the American Rescue Plan Act (2021) through Coos County.
“The 50-kilowatt, ground-mount system was completed in August. This was a USDA 75/25 grant of $90,900 paid with the grant and $30,400 by the town. This array carries all the remainder of our municipal accounts. Savings on the remaining municipal accounts for $11,500 yearly.
“We are currently working on an 8-kilowatt, roof-mount system at our pavilion, and this will carry the new load for the installation of new heat pumps and an EV charging station level 2. We are also putting heat pumps in the town hall. The funding was through a Congressional grant through Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office and administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.”
When it goes online, the EV charging station in Stratford is believed to be the first installed in the North Country.
The projects are having an economic development impact in the region with the town working with Colebrook-based Smart Energy of New England on all its solar installations.
“These are really exciting projects, and they are changing the town by investing in it,” Elander said.
She has also been impressed by how proactive Stratford has been in planning new projects and providing inspiration throughout the region.
Elander said, “My job has not slowed down” in the region. Demand has been so great that Clean Energy NH sent Gabe Chelius to join Elander in the North Country. He is working with businesses on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in towns like Bethlehem.
Clean Energy NH has also added energy circuit riders to the Monadnock and Seacoast regions.
For its part, Stratford invites the public to track its renewable energy production on the town website.
As of Oct. 11, the town estimates it has generated more than 600 KW of solar power for the month and cumulatively saved since 2021 more than 63,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.
Find out more at cleanenergynh.org/energy-circuit-riders.
