More Solar Panels Coming to Lincoln, Middle Schools

(Editor's note: this article was updated on Thursday, June 24 at 2 p.m. to correct the source of the Lincoln School solar funds.)

The solar array on top of Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School will be expanded and the Lincoln School will receive a small solar array, thanks to two grants that went before the Board of Aldermen this week.

The $150,000 middle school grant comes from $13 million in federal stimulus funds doled out by the state, with Melrose, due to its population, having to enter a competitive process in order to win the grant, Melrose City Planner Denise Gaffey told the aldermen's Appropriations Committee on Monday night.

That grant will purchase a 19-kilowatt system that will be added to the existing 32-kilowatt system that was installed on the school's roof in 2008, Gaffey said. The previous system was purchased through a $340,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and generates about 5 percent of the electricity used by the school.

The new 19-kilowatt system, which'll tie into the existing converters and data system that displays the energy on a screen in the school's lobby, should generate an additional 2.5 percent of the electricity used by the school, Gaffey said.

The Lincoln School array is thanks to a $23,000 grant that matches the additional payments some Melrose residents voluntarily spent on their electricity and utility bills to purchase energy from green sources. Gaffey credited the Melrose Energy Commission, which also developed the plan for the Lincoln School, for their public outreach efforts that resulted in Melrose residents raising the $23,000 through their voluntary payments.

The grant for the Lincoln School comes from the state's Renewable Energy Trust fund, which was previously managed by MTC and, as of November 2009, is managed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), according to MassCEC spokeswoman Kate Plourd.

Those funds will purchase a 2-3 kilowatt solar array on top of the Lincoln School that Gaffey said will generate a "negligent amount" of electricity, offsetting the electricity bill only slightly, but will be more for educational purposes and used as a teaching tool at the school. The array will also be installed so its visible from the Lincoln School ballfield.

Ward 7 Alderman William Forbes noted that the middle school and Lincoln School are two of the newest and more energy efficient schools in Melrose. He asked Gaffey why the grants couldn't be used for solar arrays on older, less energy efficient schools.

Gaffey replied that the main reason is that installing a solar array on a newer roof ensures that the city will be able to maximize its use.

"If you're putting solar on an old roof, you might have to rip (the roof) up in a few years," she said. "It's just not practical. We've certainly identified a lot of projects in all the schools through green communities initiative. I recognize that there's a lot of needs in the other elementary schools. Hopefully, we can target those through the green communities program."