CCCD now soliciting farmer interest for this net metering opportunity: Eighteen shares available to farms for purchase

The Cheshire County Conservation District is excited to announce that the Community Supported Solar array at Sun Moon Farm in Rindge has been installed and farmers are now being sought to sign up for shares in this net metering opportunity! This is a partnership with Sun Moon Farm, ReVision Energy, and the Monadnock Sustainability Hub, with funding from the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation.

This Monadnock Region Community Supported Solar Project is an effort to help local farmers stabilize and lower their costs of electricity. A number of agricultural producers in the Monadnock region have expressed interest in solar, but many do not have the capital to invest in the infrastructure and/or a good location for the PV system. The Community Supported Solar model allows for community investment to offset the costs of the participating farms.

The CCCD is now taking requests from local farms interested in purchasing shares in this net metering project. Shares are limited, so interested farms should contact Amanda Littleton at the CCCD sooner rather than later.

Currently, 18 shares are available for purchase on a first come, first served basis. Each estimated 5000 KWh produced will constitute one share. Farmers may purchase as many shares as they want, but the total output cannot exceed the total power the farm consumes on an annual basis. One share costs $4,523. Participating farms must be located in the Eversource NH utility service territory. To confirm eligibility, farmers can review the PUC utility coverage by town listings at: https://www.puc.nh.gov/Consumer/communitiesserved.pdf

If you believe your farm can benefit from lowered energy costs and you’re interested in this net metering opportunity but want more information – please join the CCCD at an upcoming Virtual Info Session on either Wednesday, January 6th from 3:30pm-5:30pm or on Thursday, January 14th from 10am-12pm. Both meetings will be held virtually on Zoom. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Please register online at: https://cssinfosession2021.eventbrite.com.

Interested farmers should contact Amanda Littleton directly at the CCCD to reserve their shares; first come first served until sold out. Either send an email to amanda@cheshireconservation.org or call 607-756-2988 x4 and leave a voicemail.