The Purpose
The power outage during the flooding of August/September 2018 did not allow the energy produced by the solar panels to be used to run the buildings. Grid tied solar systems cannot produce electricity without power from the grid. However, with a battery backup that stores extra solar energy, the solar can continue to produce electricity independent of the grid. As long as the sun shines, the batteries can recharge and run critical loads indefinitely. When there is no power outage, the batteries simply use the stored energy to run the buildings at night.
It is important for the town to plan for future scenarios. Generating and storing our own electricity on site creates energy independence and community resilience as well as supports the local economy. The long-term plan includes:
- Adding battery storage to be able to store solar energy generated on site
- Adding additional solar panels to the south facing roof to increase energy production
- Purchasing an electric pickup that can be fueled with solar power
Planning for the future will allow the town to be able to respond to a variety of emergency scenarios and reduce carbon pollution while also saving taxpayers money. For example, solar energy costs are now competitive with natural gas in many parts of the country. Electric pickups are cheaper to maintain than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and include useful features, such as onboard power and compressed air. Prices are continuing to decline, and many are on par with ICE pickups.
This fund will be used for the following only:
- Adding battery storage to be able to store solar energy generated on site
- Adding additional solar panels to the south facing roof to increase energy production
- Purchasing an electric pickup that can be fueled with solar power
Donations
The Energy Resiliency Fund has been fully funded by donations to the Town of Stark. To make a donations you can contact the Town Treasurer. If you wish to make an anonymous donation you can contact the La Farge State Bank and ask to donate to the Town of Stark's Energy Resiliency Fund.