Big things are happening up in Vermont. During the past 8 months the Town of Stowe Electric Department, Hyde Park Water & Light Department, and Hardwick Electric Department have been "exploring opportunities to incorporate local solar generation into their electric power portfolios." With the new state law that requires a certain percentage of their electricity to come from local renewable generation, they knew they had to do something to make that possible while making it financially available. So, they found an available plot of land, Nebraska Valley gravel pit, in Stowe, Vt. 

On May 28, residents of Stowe voted on whether to authorize Stowe Electric to pursue zero-interest loans, which then had to be obtained in only a few days after the vote. In the end, Stowe residents voted 91-45 to go solar. 

Matthew Rutherford, Stowe’s Electric’s manager of regulatory compliance, goes on to say "(he) was encouraged by the vote, even though only 3.7 percent of Stowe’s registered voters cast ballots," because it shows a contingent in town "shares the same ideas about renewable clean energy as Stowe Electric does." 

Stowe has a long road ahead of them, but they are in no rush. They have roughly three months to answer all the lingering questions, including, "Will the bonds be interest-free, or something very close to it?" Once they have more details, they have to return to the voters to hold another vote. Ellen Burt, Stowe’s Electric general manager, said, "I’m feeling better about proceeding at a more comfortable pace now. At the next vote, we’ll be able to tell them more; we’ll have all the information".

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