Conservation Commission considers Carver solar projects
Wicked Local
CARVER – The parade of solar project proposals in Carver continues, with several projects under review by the Conservation Commission at its last meeting.
The Planning Boards in Carver and Wareham have granted approval for the 3-megawatt dual use solar project with battery storage on six acres at 370 Tremont St. in Carver and on 26 acres in Wareham. Of the 3 megawatts, approximately 30 percent would be located in Carver.
Sarah Stearns, an associate with the consulting firm Beals and Thomas, presented the plans for solar panels over owner Brett Meredith’s cranberry bogs to the Conservation Commission during the May 5 public hearing. A notice of intent and a variance have been requested from Carver.
Pandemic leaves lasting impact on food insecurity
Food security in Alabama By Lauren Jackson | May 2, 2021 at 11:11 PM CDT - Updated May 2 at 11:11 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Officials with the Community Foodbank of Central Alabama said it will take months for some families to bounce back from the pandemic.
CEO Brett Meredith said many of the families they now serve were not food insecure before the pandemic.
He said before COVID, the need was 45 million pounds of food in the 12 different counties they serve, but most recent numbers show the need is 55 million pounds.
He said even when the pandemic improves, families will still be recovering from pandemic debt, looking for jobs and struggling to find a steady source of food. He said they expect the increase in demand to last for another year.
Chloe Shelford Apr 27, 2021
On April 26, the Planning Board approved plans for a solar farm to be built over an active cranberry bog owned by Brett Meredith.
Meredith’s farm straddles the Wareham-Carver border. He is hoping to install solar fields over 28 acres of his bogs in Wareham and additional solar over his bogs in Carver. The Carver Planning Board has already approved the plans.
The plan is based on a state program that incentivizes farmers to harvest solar energy in addition to their crops and which requires the land to continue to be actively farmed.
Because Meredith will continue to grow and harvest cranberries, the array is slightly unusual in its design and layout. Solar panels are further apart and significantly higher than is typical, and they are on special bases that allow them to tilt to follow the sun over the course of the day.
Wareham Planning Board approves farm-friendly solar-array on Wareham-Carver line
Wicked Local
WAREHAM – The Planning Board Monday approved its site plan review of a “dual-use” plan to blend a 7.3-megawatt solar-array field with active cranberry bogs on land straddling the Wareham-Carver border off North Carver Road.
Brett Meredith owns and continues to farm the land. The site that will be impacted is already cleared of trees so deforestation will not be necessary, according to proponents.
Meredith said the arrangement’s added revenue will allow him to continue farming.
The state’s Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target or SMART Program provides financial incentives for solar-array systems designed to allow a farm to continue working. The overall site is 110 acres, with 77 in Wareham and 33 in Carver.
Wicked Local
CARVER – With no tree clearing proposed, the developer of a new 7.3-megawatt solar project on 33 acres in Carver and 77 acres in Wareham seeks approval from the planning boards of both towns.
The Carver Planning Board had few questions at the Feb. 23 public hearing for Be Re, LLC, requesting a special permit and site plan approval for 370 Tremont St. in Carver.
The owner, Brett Meredith, proposes to continue operating his cranberry bogs as part of this dual use ground-mounted solar project with battery storage, two in Carver and two in Wareham.
Sarah Stearns, an associate with the consulting firm Beals and Thomas, presented the project to the Planning Board. Two access points in Wareham lead to the base of operations. She said the bogs are set back quite a ways from the main road.