05/06/2025 EC Minutes

Minutes of Bethlehem Energy Commission

May 6, 2025

 

Present:  Dan Crosby, Mary Lou Krambeer, Josh Lieberman, Scott Caisse, Bruce Caplain

Excused: Chuck Phillips, David Van Houten, Marni Hoyle, and Nancy Strand, Select Board Liaison

 

Mission The Bethlehem Energy Commission encourages and supports economically and environmentally sensible energy practices in Bethlehem, NH.

 

Minutes from past meetings may be found at:  https://bethlehemnh.org/minutes/

 

Vote to accept April minutes moved by Bruce Caplain and seconded by Josh Lieberman.  Approved.

 

Welcome to our new Select Board Liaison – Nancy Strand.

 

Eversource reimbursement:  Highway Garage solar KW generation receives a monthly Eversource payout. This payment process was oddly not happening for the Bethlehem Elementary School (BES) array.  Instead at BES the solar KW were tracked and carried over each month with a once a year payment of $0.3 per kWh.  Dan has been pestering Eversource about this inconsistency for several months. They finally got back to him and said the BES process was incorrect.  Eversource will now change the tracking and payment process to parallel the Highway Garage method.  This will result in a higher monthly reimbursement for BES.  There is a possibly Eversource will give us credit for the backlog of BES generation at the Highway Garage’s higher reimbursement rate (TBD).

 

Our third municipal array, the Bethlehem Library array, does not cover all of their electric supply needs.  Therefore they see a reduction in their electricity bill, but do not receive a monthly Eversource payout.

 

REAP Main Street Solar

Good news, this USDA program funding is still in-place

Super Secret Ice Cream solar panels underway

Maia Papaya solar panels also underway

 

Changing REC dealer

How can a person or institution change their REC dealer?

Scott has recently found out that few contracts have any penalties.

Now we need to find out what time of year we can change REC dealers without losing any of our REC credits.

To Do:  Mary Lou ask solar auditor when we can change REC dealers and how it will

 

IRS Credit

David is working with Shaheen Office on getting the final $30,000 from IRS related to the installation of municipal solar projects. Bruce said, Mary Moritz and the Selectboard will add the IRS Credit to their “open project” list.

 

Level 2 EV charger project is stalled due to Eversource’s requirement that the charger must be connected to a 3-Phase power source.  Eversource says 3-Phase power lines are not currently available in Bethlehem due to the height of polls issue with the Town Selectboard.  Until that is resolved Eversource seems to think we are at an impasse.  Bruce reached out to Main’s Electric to see if we could possibly dig a trench to the 3-phase pole near the Town Hall rather than wait on the installation of a new pole.

 

Community Power Coalition of NH (CPCNH)

Marni Hoyle and Dan Crosby are Bethlehem’s two representatives to CPCNH. Marni will begin giving updates on CPCNH meetings, developments, and power supply pricing at our BEC meetings.

 

BEC Meetings in 2025 (first Tuesday of the month): 

June 3 Bruce will run the meeting.

July 1 (Marni), Aug 5, Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2

 

Adjourned at 6:40