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TOPSFIELD — Walking through downtown at night, one might not realize it is solar power that illuminates the sidewalks.
This is the idea behind the town’s custom ornamental solar streetlamps, according to town administrator Kevin Harutunian. Flat solar panels wrap around the top of the poles, disguising the energy-saving technology as historic fixtures.
The first such light was installed in 2020. After it proved a success, the town installed 19 more.
The lights were completely funded by a state grant, and they cost less to maintain than traditional lights because they don’t use electricity, Harutunian said. The only fee is an annual service fee to the manufacturer that monitors them.
Harutunian said that when he was hired in Topsfield, he noticed the downtown lacked “adequate lighting.” Electric street lamps would mean tearing up the recently paved sidewalks, so the town looked to alternative solutions.
“There really wasn’t a solar option that felt appropriate for a colonial historical downtown and common,” Harutunian said.
So, for five months, he worked with Speclines — an outdoor lighting agency based in Massachusetts — to create Topsfield’s design. Companies around the nation and world built the individual parts, including a Dutch company that constructed the pole.
Harutunian said he and the select board thought the lights would “beautify” and attract business downtown, falling in line with the town’s economic development goals.
Smiling, Harutunian said local and national municipalities have asked about the lights. He said these were the first of their kind in the state, according to his knowledge.
“Potential” for more
The town also plans to replace all of Topsfield’s non-solar lights with LED lights, Harutunian added. These use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, according to the Energy.gov website.
A 2022 rule from the Department of Energy outlawed the sale of virtually all incandescent lights. The rule went into effect this August, so towns and homes can still use incandescent bulbs, but they cannot replace them when they run out of energy.
Jennifer Forster, the chair of Topsfield’s sustainability advisory committee, said the town had been discussing this transition before the ban went into effect.
Rather than having National Grid change Topsfield’s lights to LED, Harutunian said the town is considering purchasing the light poles and retrofitting them with LED lights that dim at night.
He said the energy conserved by dimmers would save money for the town in a few years. It would also minimize light pollution, which interferes with some birds’ migratory patterns and inhibits a clear view of the sky.
“I also see their potential,” Harutunian added.
He said that in the future, the town could enhance the lights with Wi-Fi or put solar speakers on downtown fixtures.
The computer bench
After the town “had such a win when it came to the lights,” Harutunian said he asked Specline what else Topsfield could do.
He said Specline recommended a smart bench from SEEDiA — a Poland-based solar infrastructure company, according to its website.
Harutunian said residents weren’t “asking for a solar bench, per se,” but he thought it could add interest to the downtown with “minimal impact.”
The minimalistic gray bench with a clear seat was installed at the corner of Grove and Main streets last summer.
It has Wi-Fi, charging ports, and it can play Bluetooth music, but Harutunian said the town is “still working” on its features.
“[It] seemed like a really great opportunity to capture people’s imagination and to put something a little bit special down there,” he said.
He added that the location was selected to attract people’s attention as they walk through downtown or on the rail trail.
It, too, falls in line with Topsfield’s downtown revitalization project.
“We have been, and will continue to be, a leader in regards to discovering, creating, and implementing innovative, sustainable solutions for the Topsfield community — now and in the future,” Harutunian said.
