Plans for putting solar panels on top of the town's fire department have been officially accepted. The Board of Selectmen approved both an easement and purchase agreement to allow the technology to be installed at the 1 Ferry St. structure. NhSolarGarden.com, LLC, based in Portsmouth, will install and maintain the panels on top of the building.
The town will buy the power generated by the panels at a price 10 percent lower than what a supplier of their choice would charge.
The power will be enough to fuel the entire fire station, with some left over as well.
"It's enough to meet the needs of our fire department, and we have enough excess to meet most of the needs of the library," said Town Administrator Shaun Mulholland.
The panels will be an overall solid investment for the town, according to Mulholland.
"We don't have to lay out the money and we're going to get the (electricity) for the next 20 years," Mulholland said.
The deal spelled out in the easement will be good for the next two decades. After that, officials will need to renegotiate those terms.