Jericho Solar-Bration

Pete Davis orchestrated a Jericho, Vermont Solar-Bration Ribbon Cutting Event that was held at the former Jericho Landfill where the new 2.3 mW capacity Solar installation was recently completed. The site holds 6,000 (modules) solar panels. 

 

Angelike Contis of MMCTV interviewing Pete. 

One very long extension cord reached and utilized the solar panels' power.
That's thinking green, Pete.

Pete was not able to get the sun to come out fully during the event,
however, the 'Sun' songs he played were a great choice in music.

Joining in the ribbon-cutting were Catherine McMains, Chair Jericho Selectboard,  Chad Ferrell, Founder/CEO Encore Renewable Energy,  Rebecca Towne, CEO of VEC, John Abbot, Jericho Town Mgr., Tyler Barnes, iSun, and Trevor Squirell, Representative VT Legislature. 

    

Rebecca Towne, CEO of VEC, and others spoke about the project and the installation. 

Notes from the speakers:

• The contract with VEC is for  25 years (warranty from Encore) however, the assets should be useful well beyond that. The units' efficiency degrades 1/2% per year so after 25 years they will still be over 87% efficient. 
• The height of the panels is set to account for the average snow depth so that the snow dropping off the panels does not shade them.
• The panels melt snow that falls on them because the panels reach up to 100 to 150 degrees pert cell (72 cells on one module).
• The panels were made in the Far East. 
• Encore donated $2,000 to the Mobbs Committee to re-route trails and donated manpower to help with the work. 
• The installation will produce four million kW hours per year which is equal to the requirements of about 300 homes. 
• Every new iSun project going forward will use agrivoltaics; sheep in some, pollinator plants* in others. *See Bernie's note (at the bottom of this post) to the Jericho Select Board about how we might get pollinator plants on this site through discussions with the caretaker of the property, ENGIE. 
• The landfill is capped and three feet of topsoil cannot be penetrated. Therefore the footings are concrete-filled tubs holding the framework (designed to withstand 100-mile winds from the north). 
• The power from this installation goes directly into the grid. 
• About 40 workers were on-site during peak construction time. 
• Catherine McMains expressed thanks and gave credit to Tim Nulty (former Jericho Select Board member) for driving the project for the town of Jericho. 
• The town will receive (remuneration) annual lease and property tax payments from Encore. (See Town Report for the amount; currently estimated between $12k and $18k annually).

View MMCTV video recording of the event here.

Below is my open letter to the Jericho Select Board, following the ribbon-cutting event.

Jericho Selectboard

Jericho, Vermont

Nov 2021

Hello Catherine, Wayne, Erik,

I think the old town dump is a good setting for the solar installation. This renewable energy project will do good for us. 

There is still an opportunity to do more on this site for nature, for climate, and for us. 

I encourage the Town of Jericho to pursue discussions with ENGIE, the asset manager of the site, to plant VT native wildflowers across the 7-acre site, recognizing that, as Sonia Johnson, Director of Construction at Encore stated, doing so provides the benefit of increasing the pollinator-friendly cover, even when it is an added cost for the first few years of the project. 

And that in the long run, the growth can then require less mowing since it would not get above the low side of the solar panels. More and more developers and asset owners are moving to plant for pollinators when it works for the soil on site.

In speaking with Chad Farrell of Encore after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he confirmed what I had been told by Sonia Johnson, that ENGIE was not on board with pollinator plantings (nor sheep grazing) at the Jericho landfill solar site. He suggested that the Jericho Select board could perhaps discuss the economics of a pollinator planting with ENGIE and possibly influence the outcome. Will the board please consider such a discussion with ENGIE? 

In addition, I implore the select board to consider their (and our) responsibility and role in restoring nature by identifying other spaces on Jericho townland, to manage for native plant habitat restoration favoring pollinators, biodiversity conservation, and people. 

“As nature is pushed to the fringes of our built-up world, it’s the small pockets of wild resistance that can help.” Diary of a Young Naturalist - Dara McAnulty. 

Native plants for habitat restoration to support life and species diversity; It is not a matter of "will we succeed, but more of will we try"? 

Sincerely

Bernie Paquette

See Subject References below.

According to an NYT article, the Department of Agriculture listed ways that climate change threatens America’s food supply: Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, more pests and disease, reduced soil quality, fewer pollinating insects, and more storms and wildfires will combine to reduce crops and livestock.

Yale Enviornment360 reports: With bees threatened by habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change, researchers are finding that planting [native] flower patches in urban gardens and green spaces can help restore these essential pollinators.

Xerces gives guidance in their article, “How to Maximize Benefits to Pollinators in Cities and Towns”. An Urban Habitat Assessment tool, designed to help you see your yard through the eyes of a pollinator, identify areas for improvement and prioritize actions you can take to promote these insects in your yard and community.

The European Commission offers an “A guide for pollinator-friendly cities: How can spatial planners and land-use managers create favorable urban environments for pollinators?”

Bee City USA tells us “Pollinators don’t need showplaces; they need food (pollen and nectar) and places to mate, nest, and overwinter.”

Find a link to the active Jericho Pollinator Petition here. 

“Biodiversity loss is a symptom of overshoot because human expansion necessarily displaces other species and their habitats.” From Climate Change and the Limits of Economic Growth. 

It’s time we share the earth with other species!