Temple's 100% Renewable Energy

Task Force

Temple citizens approved a Warrant Article, initiated by the Energy Committee, at the 2018 Town Meeting requesting the establishment of a task force to recommend options for transitioning our municipal energy usage to 100% renewables by 2030. 

Provide Temple citizens with viable, cost-effective options for converting our municipal energy usage to 100% renewable energy by 2030.  

· We have collected the energy usage data for Temple’s municipal sector to assess the          demand for each building.

· We have obtained professional energy audits for Town Hall and the Annex - both not            previously audited or retrofitted for energy efficiency.

· We have held meetings with directors of the NH Community Development Finance Authority and           Clean Energy NH to discuss financial assistance options for renewable energy installations.

· We have invited three reputable renewable energy installers to conduct site visits for our FD and          Municipal Building, review our energy usage data and recommend renewable energy installations.

. We have used a solar pathfinder to examine the amount of available solar power throughout the year    for 5 prospective sites in town, eventually selecting one, largely for its potential energy productivity.

. We are designing a 25 KW array, adequate for covering the electricity requirements for all of our            municipal buildings, with a roughly 5 year pack back period.

. We will then hold the designed array recommendation ready to present to the Select Board, hold a        public hearing, and present it in a Warrant Article at Town Meeting once sufficient financing options    become available. 

. On another track, we requested and received the authorization from our Select Board to proceed          with an evaluation of the opportunity offered by the passage of Senate Bill 286 in 2019, which allows    towns to establish Community Power Plans for greater local control and reduced costs for the              electricity needs of their entire community. 

 It provides towns the ability to:

 1.  lower costs through bulk purchasing

 2.  provide and facilitate the option of switching to renewable power sources

 3.  offer price stability and demand response options

 4.  provide an opt-out choice for any electricity customer choosing not to participate

. We are also exploring the options for installing an EV (electric vehicle) charging station in town.  

We will continue to evaluate options for making viable cost-neutral recommendations for converting our municipal energy usage to renewables and providing lower cost electricity through Community Power.  

We will discuss our suggestions with appropriate town committees and boards, and will bring the recommendations to our citizens in a public hearing and as warrant articles for approval at a Town Meeting.

And we will assist in the oversight of installations and financial arrangements for whichever renewable energy sources have been selected until we reach 100% renewable power for Temple's municipal sector by 2030. And we will assist in the establishment of a Community Power Plan if that option is approved by our citizens. 

• For curbing GHG emissions which intensify climate crises now & for future generations.

• For stabilizing energy costs - avoiding the volatility of the world's fossil fuel markets

• For the cheapest source of energy on the market

• To support local and in-state jobs - expanding the state’s renewable energy industry 

 .To reduce the federal, state and local taxes necessary for covering the costs from 

  increasingly destructive storms, fires, floods, and droughts as well as the resulting crop

  losses, dairy closures, higher food prices and health impact. 

        By October 2020, there were 16 climate-driven disasters that caused at least $1 billion

        in damage each.

                       Renewables Will Benefit NH as a Whole

1. Reducing NH’s predicted rise in excessive heat and its consequential health impacts

2. Reducing state taxes to cover costs for infrastructure repairs from increasingly 

    destructive storms and floods

3. Reducing impacts on NH’s business & tourist industries - 20% fewer ski days ( - $84 M);

    loss of maples (- $3.5 M in syrup business) & loss of foliage tourism; fewer beach                  tourists from beach erosion; loss of hunting fees & business from out-of-state hunters          due to prey die-offs from exploding winter tick populations

4. Reducing harms to NH’s fishing industry from warmer ocean water already depleting 

   cod and lobster stocks, & tourist fishing from the loss of cold fresh water decimating             trout fishing stocks

5. Reducing harms to NH’s farms from droughts & floods

6. Reducing the influx of multiple new invasive insect species

7. Supporting quality in-state jobs and NH’s renewable energy industry

8. Cost savings - 2014-17 small-scale solar saved NE utilities & customers $1.1 billion.