Citing issues ranging from money to property values to safety, several Newcastle residents made it clear: They want to stick solar panels where the sun shines, albeit away from Sheepscot Village.

During the Newcastle Board of Selectmen meeting Monday, Feb. 10, a packed house was on hand to hear about a feasibility project that could have delivered up to six photovoltaic panels in the historic area around Sheepscot Village.

The Power Company's owner, Rich Simon, was on hand to talk about the project. He said the Washington, Maine based company had overseen several similar projects in municipalities.

There were several locations scouted for the feasibility project, including the old dump site and the field near the Harriet Gertrude Bird Playground.

In the actual study, Simon wrote that the conditions were close to ideal for a photovoltaic site, as the field has the appropriate amount of solar exposure. The panels would also rotate to catch the sun during the day.

While the Sheepscot Village residents were opposed to the location of the panels, they weren't entirely opposed to the idea of powering Newcastle via green methods.

The concern from multiple residents focused mainly on how the panels, which stand almost 20-feet tall, would detract visually from the area. Some in attendance said real-estate values would plummet if the panels were installed.

Newcastle spends approximately $4,800 per year on electricity for town buildings. If successful, the solar panels would have been able to offset some of that cost.

But, nothing is final; nothing was even planned for the area, Selectman Ben Frey said. The feasibility study was just to test the waters and see if Newcastle could support solar power, Frey said.

“The idea behind the feasibility study is to ask if it makes sense and where would it make sense,” he said. “It isn't based on one location.”