Cohasset’s Alternative Energy Committee grappled with project delays and uncovered new opportunities for energy savings during its November 13 meeting, highlighted by an unexpected contract renewal for the town's electric vehicle charging stations. Due to prolonged delays in the state's MassEVIP "rip and replace" grant program, the town was compelled to renew its annual software subscription with ChargePoint to prevent a service interruption. Assistant Town Planner Julia Gillis explained the situation, noting, "The town has renewed its annual subscription with ChargePoint to avoid a lengthy disruption period in service... the delay just kept growing on the state's end." The renewal came at a cost of approximately $5,000 to $6,000, prompting a discussion about the chargers' financial performance. "Unless we're paying Charge Point an awful lot of money, it seems like we're overcharging our residents for the use of the electricity since the cost of the town is so low," member Martha commented.

The committee also received an eye-opening look at the town’s energy consumption through the Mass Energy Insight (MEI) data portal. Gillis demonstrated the dashboard, which graphically displays energy usage across all municipal buildings. The data immediately pinpointed the Teen Center and the Harbormaster's Shed as having disproportionately high energy usage intensity. The revelation sparked ideas for future projects. "I bet we could get... we should do something with that because that building should not have an EUI that high," said Chair Debbie Cook. Member Steve Bailey added, "Well, maybe National Grid should pay for going in insulating it." The committee agreed the portal was a valuable tool for identifying and prioritizing efficiency upgrades.

Earlier in the meeting, the committee handled administrative business by approving minutes from two prior meetings. After a brief review, Motion Made by Debbie Cook to approve the minutes for the May 8th meeting. Motion Passed 5-0, with one abstention from Jimmy, who stated, "I wasn't at that meeting so I have to abstain." The committee members confirmed their votes, including Barbara Russell who stated "Hi, Barbara Russell, I," and Tom Bailey. The committee then considered the next set of minutes, with Motion Made by Martha to approve the minutes for the September 25th meeting. Motion Passed 4-0, with two abstentions from Jimmy and Barbara Russell. Member Thorenhole cast an affirmative vote.

The committee faced another delay concerning its climate goals, learning that a proposed warrant article to adopt a municipal decarbonization commitment was not included in the recent Special Town Meeting and will be pushed to the spring. "In order to avoid this again, I think we should start like ASAP on it," urged Cook, noting the need to educate town leadership on its importance. On the solar front, an upcoming inverter replacement at the town’s landfill solar array will require a full one-month shutdown. The timeline raised concerns for Tom Bailey, who stressed the need for tight coordination. "What I think we collectively would really not like to have happen is we pull the trigger on shutting down the system... and it ends up being shut down for more than a month because everything's not there," he said. The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 PM.