I hadn’t realized that PSNH wants to build a large (up to 5 megawatt, or 5,000 kilowatt) solar farm atop the capped Manchester city landfill. This would be the first almost-utility-scale photovoltaic plant in the New England, 11 times the size of the Brockton Brightfield and 100 times the size of the biggest solar sites in New Hampshire.

This story in NHBR, however, says it’s caught up in a debate about how to pay for it - particularly, whether PSNH can use some money it pays into a state-controlled renewable energy fund because it didn’t hit some renewable energy standards. That fund is supposed to help kick-start the state’s renewable-energy industry.

Critics say PSNH is trying to keep a stranglehold on power generation in NH; PSNH says it is in the best position to use this money to actually build large-scale solar facilities, rather than just talk about them. The project could cost $40 million.

Tags: solar panels, solar power