Dear Permanent Buildings Committee and the SBC committee,
Solar saves and makes money for the Town! Solar is the one component of the building that will actually create a return on investment in the very first year. A full build-out of all of the parking lot canopies provideenergy for the school building, greatly reducing electricity costs (potentially to zero) and peak usage charges. In addition, solar and storage earns money for the Town with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and utility electricity buy-back programs.
If residents understood that we were leaving money for the town on the table, I do not think they would think it was a fiscally responsible decision.
Parking lots are the perfect location for solar. Parking lots are impermeable and their only purpose is to give a car a place to live for a while. Parking lots are ugly and have no added purpose UNLESS they support renewable energy. In addition, they provide shade and covering for cars thereby drastically reducing the heat island effect. And, and while doing this, the added bonus is a statement to the community that we value the future and we want to leave a healthy environment to future generations.
Maximizing solar is a key purpose of Lexington’s Integrated Building and Design and Construction Policy and it is the responsible thing to do. Here is the statement from the IBDCP
“To maximize onsite renewable energy production given each building’s respective site and site use, while minimizing energy use and operational costs of Town buildings.”
The climate crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it and it will affect our younger people disproportionately as it gets worse with time. I have been working on addressing climate change since 2006 and Lexington has made enormous progress in our responsibility to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The new LHS must do all it can toward that same goal— to protect and enrich our environment for future generations. The new LHS should demonstrate full commitment towards this goal.
Please preserve ALL of the canopies, including the expansion of A and B.