NEW GLOUCESTER — Nick Sampson, spokesman for Revision Energy of South Portland, updated selectmen Monday night on installing rooftop solar energy panels on the fire station, public works garage, transfer station and Town Hall.

The commercial solar consultant said his company was started in 2003 and employs over 250 people in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The company has installed 8,000 systems.

Rooftop solar panels of tempered glass produce direct current that is converted to alternating current by inverters, he said. No batteries are needed and the power in most projects is hooked up to the grid of Central Maine Power.

Installation costs are projected at $200,000 for New Gloucester. The system would produce an estimated 97,217 kilowatt-hours of electricity from 258 solar panels and six solar inverters.

Sampson said one option is to pay for the work through a third party investor. The investor finances the project and owns and operates the system anywhere from six to 30 years. At six years, the town could purchase the project at 60 percent of the initial upfront price, he said.

The town pays roughly $25,000 annually for electricity.

In other business, the board approved job descriptions for the director, deputy director, employees and the mechanic for the Public Works Department.

The board also awarded the bid for the library deck replacement project to Maine Highland Construction of Etna for $25,000.

Finally, the board agreed to send requests for sealed bids for a 14,000- and a 19,000-pound loader for the transfer station. Offers are due Oct. 7.

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