Jaffrey is moving forward with a study with an aim to install a solar array at the town’s landfill at the town’s transfer station.

During Town Meeting, voters authorized the town to enter into an agreement with ReVision Energy for an array. Before the town can move forward with that project, it must first gather more information, Town Manager Jon Frederick said in an interview Tuesday, including a study on how the system would be connected to the grid and its impact on the system.

The proposal is to build a 1 megawatt system, with 2,880 panels, which would feed into the electrical system and the town could purchase to offset the energy usage of its own buildings. The town facilities currently utilize about 1.3 million kilowatt-hours annually.

The array would be built by ReVision Energy, an employee-owned company founded in 2003. Frederick said the current plan is for the town to enter a power-purchase agreement for the energy produced and lease the land to ReVision for the array, but the town would not own the array.

A power-purchase agreement allows schools, nonprofits and towns to purchase energy from the solar project, rather than purchasing the solar panels themselves, saving on upfront costs. There is a path to ownership possible under the agreement, depending upon the terms reached between ReVision and the town.

“Effectively what we’re doing is allowing this area to be used for the production of renewable energy,” Frederick said.

This week, the Select Board agreed to work with ReVision to conduct preliminary studies on how the power would be connected to the grid.

“This is the first step towards reaching an agreement,” Frederick said.

Frederick added the town hasn’t received a timeline for the construction or completion of the solar array, but said he does not anticipate a drawn-out process.

“We’re not racing by any stretch, but hopefully we will be able to proceed in the very near future,” Frederick said.

This is not the only solar project the town of Jaffrey is currently considering, with the other being an array on one of the town’s lagoons, to contribute directly to the running of the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.