by Valerie Hurley ·
Friday, August 21, 2026
The Select Board has unveiled a list of alternative sites for a ground-mounted, 1.4-megawatt solar array that had originally been planned for the town’s former gravel pit on Stow Road. That plan was derailed when voters at last May’s Town Meeting voted against leasing the gravel pit to the solar developer, Solect Energy.
Residents’ opinions about where to build the array are welcome until Aug. 30, when the board aims to approve an agreement with Solect. The agreement would leave open—until the end of September—Harvard’s option to choose a site other than the former gravel pit.
However, according to the nine-item list shown at the Aug. 4 Select Board meeting, the gravel pit remains a top candidate for the nonbattery solar installation. It is one of the three sites that are listed as “available now.” Six other sites, including both specific parcels and types of land-–conservation, recreation, or “tax title properties”—are not readily available.
The “available now” sites are the former gravel pit; the town-owned Warila land, a vacant but heavily forested 31-acre parcel on Stow Road that is designated as core habitat for rare species; and the rear Bromfield School parking lot, which would be covered by a canopy of solar panels.
The less available sites include town-owned parcels that are designated as conservation or recreation land, which are subject to a complex state-mandated process meant to ensure no net loss of protected open space. Removing any land from conservation or recreation status would require the town to replace it and obtain approval for the change from the Legislature.
Also listed as potential but not readily available sites are the Small Nature Trail behind Hildreth Elementary School; the landfill on Depot Road after it is capped; and a 2.9-acre parcel of state-owned land abutting Littleton Road and Route 2. A 16-acre parcel on Bolton Road under the jurisdiction of the Water and Sewer Commission also made the list of potential sites, as did some properties that might eventually be taken by the town.
None of the sites have yet been evaluated as thoroughly as the gravel pit—a parcel that is also on the town’s list of potential sites for affordable housing. This week, Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Chair Arielle Jennings said preliminary testing, paid for by the trust, showed ample septic capacity at the back of the property. The trust, she said, would wait until the solar site is chosen before going any further.
The next step is for Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar to sign, on Aug. 30, the community power agreement needed for the Solect Energy solar project to proceed on one of the parcels. The Select Board had voted June 30 to authorize her to sign on its behalf after discovering that the previous July 4 deadline could be extended without losing the tax credits needed to make the project economically feasible.
By the end of September, members of an informal working group from the Finance Committee, Energy Advisory Committee, and Select Board will choose the final site and recommend it to the Select Board for a vote. After that, Solect Energy will initiate feasibility and design studies for the chosen site. Finally, voters at the May 2027 Town Meeting will be asked to authorize the town to lease the site to Solect, effectively approving or rejecting the project.
According to introductory remarks by member Ahmet Corapcioglu at the Aug. 4 meeting, residents who want to comment on any of the sites, or suggest a new one, should send their comments to Assistant Town Administrator Julie Doucet (jdoucet@harvard-ma.gov) by Aug. 30.