How a Massachusetts municipal golf course is planning to make $66K per year off the sun

Sunshine is vital in helping golf courses grow agronomically. But one municipal golf course in the Cape Cod hamlet of Brewster is planning to harness the sun’s power to grow its ledger as well.

On Dec. 20, according to Brewster Town Administrator Peter Lombardi, Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative’s solar projects at Captains Course golf course should clear the final local permitting hurdle. It should begin producing electricity in January. Unlike previous solar projects, this is not a net-metering arrangement where the power produced is net-metered against the electricity consumed by the town.

“We have a lease agreement with the developer that was brokered by CVEC. They will be paying $86,000 a year, that’s net some administrative charges CVEC charges,” Lombardi explained. “This is a check to the town. These are not power purchase agreements where credits are applied to the town this is a straight lease agreement (for 20 years) where they pay the town a check for the right to lease space.”

That means Brewster doesn’t have to worry about maintenance costs, fluctuating electric rates or government policies.

“Of the $86,000, $20,000 is allocated to the general fund,” Lombardi said. “That was a decision the Select Board made last fall. That will help offset the cost of having a part-time energy manager. That position has been funded through a Green Communities grant. Starting next year we’ll have $20,000 to cover that position. The other $66,000 will go to the golf course.”

That cash comes from DSD which has partnered with CVEC on three projects, the other two being at Monomoy Regional High School and the Sandwich Police Department. CVEC said the three projects would save $100,000 in energy costs. The bulk of that is at Captains Course. Overall CVEC has helped install 32 megawatts of renewable energy on Cape Cod and the Islands and they manage virtually every municipal installation.

Vehicles are parked beneath the solar array at Captains Course in Brewster, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Eldred/USA Today Network)

The energy manager is a new position created by the town. It actually reflects one day a week of work from an employee of the Cape Light Compact who will spend that day working on energy efficiency grant applications under the Green Communities act for Brewster. The goal is to have Brewster at a net-zero energy budget by Fiscal Year 2023. The CLC was the rent organization for CVEC before it was spun off on its own. CLC is funded by a fee on electric bills of Cape Cod customers and administers energy efficiency programs that saved Brewster residents $292,340 in 2020 and provides a power alternative to Eversource.

The Captains installation is mounted above the parking lot outside the clubhouse. It functions essentially as a carport over the lot and has the advantage of utilizing grass strips between the lots so no parking spaces are lost to the base mounts.

The array at the driving range covers 37,000 square feet is a 480 KW system and should put out 740,000 kilowatt hours a year and will last about 20 years. The monocrystalline panels produce DC energy that is converted to AC by a converter and transferred to the grid. The golf course array over the Captains Course parking lot covers 63,000 square feet and is a 1490 KW system with a potential output of 1,400,000 KW hours a year.

DSD is based in Schenectady, New York. The company completed the physical installation in early October. Combined with the array at the driving range the two carport canopies can produce 1763 megawatts and can store 892 kilowatt hours of electricity. DSD said that could power 262 homes annually.

“We are working with the developer to produce energy credits from both projects. We’re looking at producing credits to something equivalent to just under $7,500,” Lombardi said. The credits would help offset the golf course’s energy bill.