by Ahmet Corapcioglu, Adam Meier, and Brian Smith ·
Friday, April 24, 2026
We respectfully urge residents to vote “Yes” on Articles 25, 26, and 27 to accomplish the following:
- • Advance the town’s climate and financial goals.
- • Secure approximately $1.3 million in federal incentive tax credits before the July 4, 2026, safe-harbor deadline.
- • Authorize conditional agreements with Solect Energy and proceed with detailed engineering studies and due diligence.
- • Expand opportunities for public input.
Note that passage of the articles does not grant final approval for the project.
Harvard has long demonstrated its commitment to sustainability and clean energy through Town Meeting votes and community-supported initiatives. The town has also set goals to manage operational costs and identify new revenue. The proposed solar photovoltaic (PV) farm project at the town’s former “gravel pit” advances both commitments—climate and financial—and is the first of many such efforts we must evaluate, plan, develop, and bring to residents. The long-term plan is to reduce municipal electric bills with solar PV projects on town property, adding to the systems currently operating at the Hildreth Elementary School and Harvard Senior Center.
As Harvard electrifies its operations, municipal electricity usage is projected to grow from roughly 2.5 million kWh/year today to 4 million kWh/year by 2050. At current rate trends, the town’s annual electricity bill—about $430,000 per year today—could reach $1.3 million per year or more by 2050. The proposed 1.4 MW solar array would offset a meaningful share of that cost: approximately $125,000 in first-year savings, and an estimated $2.37 million over the 20-year lease term. Every year of delay forfeits those savings — while the town’s electric bill keeps climbing.
Timing is critical. The gravel pit project’s savings depend on capturing the 30% federal investment tax credit (ITC), approximately $1.3 million, which requires the project to be “safe-harbored” by July 4, 2026.
To move forward, we need residents’ approval of three warrant articles at the May 2 Town Meeting. As members of the Harvard Select Board, Energy Advisory Committee, and Finance Committee, we support Article 25, authorizing the lease of a town-owned parcel for solar PV, and Articles 26 and 27, which include two parcels, including the gravel pit in the town’s solar zoning bylaw. These articles enable further analysis of the proposed project. Our commitments must translate into careful action, and this is one such moment.
It is time for Harvard to move from reflexively saying “No” to responsibly evaluating opportunities that align with our goals. Questions and concerns are encouraged: They improve the process and have resulted in significant adjustments to the gravel pit project to date. But our decisions must be grounded in careful analysis and the broader community interest.
This project will not resolve all of Harvard’s budget or renewable energy challenges, but it is an important first step among several we will pursue. Energy prices, including electricity, tend to rise over time, and as the ongoing war with Iran is underscoring, they are subject to market volatility. A long-term contract for solar, built in town, provides the town some insulation over external, unpredictable factors. Standing still is not a strategy; thoughtful action is.
Equally important is how this proposal has evolved. We held four public information sessions and received valuable feedback from residents and abutters. Based on that input, the project has adjusted its scale and siting, eliminated the battery storage unit, and added wildlife-friendly features such as perimeter fencing that allows small animals to pass through. Although we may not be able to resolve every concern, we respect our neighbors’ perspectives and will continue to seek input through the permitting process.
Additionally, we scheduled a gravel pit site walk for Sunday, April 26, and would like to invite all residents to join us.
Voters should understand what these articles do and do not do. The zoning articles ensure that any project—if advanced—will be subject to a clear, transparent local review. Voting “Yes” does not approve a final project; it allows continued evaluation with safeguards and multiple opportunities for public input.
Next steps and
protecting residents’ interests
If the three articles pass, the project moves into a structured sequence of reviews, each a decision point.
First, the Select Board will execute a conditional credit purchase agreement and a conditional lease agreement with Solect Energy to safe-harbor the 30% federal ITC and initiate the next phase.
Then, Solect Energy will commission detailed engineering—an electrical study, civil engineering design, a siting analysis, and geotechnical and soil testing—to confirm the site can support a responsibly designed installation.
Next, National Grid will initiate its interconnection study based on Solect’s electrical study, and the Harvard Fire Department will review the civil design against Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code (527 CMR 1.00, Chapter 18).
Finally, the design will go through Planning Board review and Conservation Commission permitting, both of which include public hearings.
At every stage, we will keep the public informed. Each step produces findings the town will evaluate before deciding whether to advance. If any review surfaces a significant financial, technical, environmental, or community concern, that outcome will shape—and can halt—the project’s path forward. This is why the agreements above are explicitly “conditional.” This project is being driven with discipline and clear guardrails, not pushed forward at all costs.
Town Meeting is where our community decides. We encourage residents to weigh Harvard’s long-term direction alongside today’s concerns.
We respectfully urge a “Yes” vote on Articles 25, 26, and 27.
Ahmet Corapcioglu is a Select Board member, Adam Meier is a member of the Finance Committee, and Brian Smith is chair of the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee.