I was wondering if you have any information on this item that was my parents’. I believe it is made from heavy tin or something similar. It has a beautiful floral picture on it. I hope you might know something.
Thanks.
Joanne
Dear Joanne,
What you have here is a handled mid-century hammered aluminum tray.
There were several different companies that made them with the same look — flowers, scenes, hammered or plain. Most pieces you see are utilitarian in some way. The more common pieces you find in most homes bring about $20.
I hope this was helpful, Joanne, and you still have a use for your piece.
• Learn all about dogs from Lita Judge when she reads from her book Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends at Toadstool Bookshop (12 Depot Square, Peterborough) on Saturday, April 22, at 11 a.m. Judge, a writer and illustrator of more than 30 children’s books, will do a reading of the book, which explains the science behind how humans and dogs became best buddies. Visit toadbooks.com.
• See the 26th annual Model Train and Modeling Show on Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at David R. Cawley Middle School (89 Whitehall Road, Hooksett). The show will have vendors, demonstrations, a white elephant table, raffles and more. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12; children 5 and younger are free. Visit trainweb.org/cmrc.
Celebrate the Earth
• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6Washington St., Dover) is hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 22, from9 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be a planting activity, art crafts with recycled materials, an Earth Day-themed scavenger hunt and more. Sessions cost $12.50 for adults and children older than 1 year, $10.50 for seniors, free for children younger than 1 year. Visit childrens-museum.org.
• Celebrate Earth Day and learn about animals at the Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn) on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be guided nature walks, animal ambassador demonstrations, gardening demonstrations, children’s story time and crafts. The cost is $10 for a family of four members, $15 for a family of four non-members. Visit nhaudubon.org.
• Head to The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) for Earth Day Fun at the Farm on Saturday, April 22, from noon to 1:30. There will be a family-friendly hike, a lesson with Miss Jen on recycling and composting, and an Earth Day-themed craft. Tickets cost $20 per family. Register in advance at educational-farm-at-joppa-hill.square.site.
April vacation camps
• Kids ages 6 to 14 can keep practicing their soccer skills at the Seacoast United April Vacation Camp at the New Hampshire Technical Institute (31 College Drive, Concord) running April 24 through April 28. The camp will have lessons for kids of all skill levels, and there are half- and full-day options, from 9 a.m. to noon or from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Half-day for the week costs $165, full day costs $240. Visit seacoastunited.com.
• Get ready for Flower Power! April vacation camp at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) running April 24 through April 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The camp is grouped by age: ages 6 and 7, ages 8 through 10, and ages 11 through 14. Cost is $350 for non-members, $315 for members. Visit currier.org to register.
• Young actors in grades 1 through 8 can join the Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua) April Vacation Camp April 24 through April 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the end of the camp the kids will put on a variety showcase for family and friends. Camp costs $350 for the week. Visit peacockplayers.org.
• Merrimack Parks and Recreation Department is holding a daily April vacation program starting on Monday, April 24, for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids will play games and sports and do crafts outside at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road). Kids who attend more than one day must be registered for each day. The cost for one day is $60 for a single child, each additional child is $55. Visit merrimack.recdesk.com.
Special releases and pressings of records will be gone before consumers know it on Record Store Day.
Across the country and the world, millions of people will go to record stores to snatch up limited-edition vinyls.
“There’s about 500 titles this year, which is a lot less than they’ve had in the past,” said Bill Proulx of Metro City Records in Manchester. “There are lots of limited-edition records that don’t go on sale until that day. Usually, everything sells out in half an hour to an hour.”
One of the biggest titles coming to the day will be a special pressing of Taylor Swift’s album Folklore that will have never-before-featured music and audio. Swift’s album had been produced during the pandemic and in complete isolation. This special edition, called Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Recording, has 115,000 copies going on sale around the world on Record Store Day, with 75,000 going on sale in the States.
Other titles stores are excited about include a release from Billy Joel before he was popular, singing covers of Elton John and other influences in the piano man’s music. There will also be a multi-record release from Van Halen and live recordings from Pearl Jam and Grateful Dead concerts.
“The growth of physical music sales, like CDs, bottomed out and vinyl has been a straight growth since Record Store Day started,” said Chris Brown, vice president of finance for Bull Moose Music, which has a store in Salem. “Now it’s crazy. Probably more records will sell on this one day than [sold in] all of 2007; it’s that big.”
Brown had been the head of the coalition that founded Record Store Day. He said that it was something that everyone in his group felt was doable, combining special releases of records with local live bands performing, and other little perks the stores felt they could pull off.
On the first year of Record Store Day in 2008, Brown hadn’t expected much to happen. He said the group had anticipated 200 stores across the country to participate, and to amass a small following of hardcore record collectors. Instead, the day was more successful than he’d thought it would be.
“Something like 600 stores participated that year, and that was really just in the U.S.,” Brown said. “Way more people showed up than we thought. The vibe was wonderful. It changed the mood in the music industry.”
Brown noticed that there’s a change in Record Store Day’s participating artists. Instead of being focused more on classic rock bands from the 1970s, there’s a growing number of groups from the late 1980s and 1990s. Even modern bands and musicians other than Swift, like The 1975 and Post Malone, are participating in the day.
“The trends look like [Record Store Day is] trying to get new people in stores,” said John Benedict, the owner of Music Connection in Manchester. “The focus seems to be on things that kids might buy today. [The records] are not appealing to me as much anymore.”
Benedict said that he’s happy to see vinyl still being celebrated and having younger generations love it the way he had. He said that, to him, records represented more than just a physical copy of music, it’s the only way music was accessible for his generation.
“Most customers have maybe 25 to 50 records tops,” Benedict said. “Their collections don’t get into hundreds anymore.”
Record Store Day participating stores Bull Moose 419 South Broadway, Salem, 898-6254, bullmoose.com Defiant Records 609 Main St., Units 1 and 2, Laconia, 527-8310, defiantnh.com Metro City Records 691 Somerville St., Manchester, 665-9889, metrocityrecords.com Music Connection 1711 S. Willow St., Manchester, 644-0199, musicconnection.us Newbury Comics 777 S. Willow St., Manchester, 624-2842; Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 888-0720;The Mall at Rockingham Park, 99 Rockingham Park Blvd, 890-1380; newburycomics.com NH Vintage Vinyl 633 Main St., Laconia, 527-8124, nhvintagevinyl.com Pitchfork Records 2 S. Main St., Concord, 224-6700, pitchforkrecordsconcord.com
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Member appreciation: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is celebrating Member Appreciation Week, with special tours, discounts and more for museum members. Membership costs $50 for an individual and $80 for a household and includes free admission for members to the museum, passes for guest admissions and discounts, according to the website. Perks this week include a free drink ticket at the Thursday, April 20, Arts After Work and a member scavenger hunt on Friday, April 21; on Saturday, April 22, there will be a member-only tour of the new exhibit “Seeing is Not Believing: Ambiguity in Photography,” and there’s a discount for brunch on Sunday, April 23, the website said.
• Ballet: Safe Haven Ballet will present its production of Beauty and the Beast on Saturday, April 22, at 4:30 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com, 800-657-8774). Tickets cost $45, $40 for seniors and children. The production is described as fit for the whole family, according to the website. For more on Safe Haven Ballet, see safehavenballet.org.
• Photography contest: Merrimack County Savings Bank is holding its annual community photo contest. Through Wednesday, May 31, send up to five entries of color photography for the calendar and five entries for digital use on the bank’s social media pages, with winning photos awarded $100 for the photographer, according to a press release. “To be considered, photos should depict aspects of community life in New Hampshire, with a special focus on the unique character and charm of Merrimack, Hillsborough and Rockingham counties,” the release said. Go to themerrimack.com/community-photo-contest for the rules and how to enter.
A show of friends “all my friends are in This show” is the name of the exhibit, curated by Yasamin Safarzadeh, at the Carolyn Jenkins & Jill C. Wilson Galleries at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com, 225-3932) Thursday, April 20, through July 7. A public reception for the show will be held Saturday, April 22, from 7 to 9 p.m.,featuring music from Cozy Throne and Gemma Soldati. The show is described as an “inclusive, interactive, engaging and bold curation of innovative artists who actively shape their communities as educators, organizers, activists and facilitators,’ according to the website. Find gallery hours, which vary weekly, on the website.
• 100 years of music: Symphony NH will celebrate its centennial with “Symphony NH: Momentum! 100 year anniversary Concert” on Saturday, April 29, at 4 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com, 800-657-8774). The concert will feature two pieces played at Symphony NH’s first concert 100 years ago — a movement from Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and Strauss’ “On the Beautiful Blue Danube,” according to the website, as well as Dvorak featuring cellist Amit Peled and Brahms. Tickets for adults start at $39; tickets for 65+ start at $34, ages 12 to 17 cost $12 and kids under 12 get in for free, the website said.
• Poetry month finale: Poets Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky will read from their works at the Community Church of Harrisville and Chesham in Harrisville on Sunday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. as part of The Loom poetry series. Farris will read from her latest book, Standing in the Forest of Being Alive; Kaminsky, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, is best known for his book Deaf Republic, according to a press release. See TheLoomPoetry.com. The event is free and open to the public.
• New England joy: The 37th annual Omer T. Lassonde Exhibition at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St. in Portsmouth; nhartassociation.org) is “uncaged joy” featuring 70 works from New England artists in various media, according to a press release. The exhibit will be on view through Sunday, April 30; the gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
• Find the rest/ROOM: The New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St. in Portsmouth; nhartassociation.org, 431-4230) will host the exhibit “rest/ROOM,” the first exhibit in the micro in the W.C. Gallery, through July 2. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Part of your world The Anselmian Abbey Players will present Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Dana Center, Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Road in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu, 641-7700), on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at 7 p.m. as well as Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $8 for youth and $17 for seniors.
• Magnificat poetry: New Hampshire poet Russell Rowland will present his second full-length volume of poems, Magnificat, at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on Thursday, April 27, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Reggae Festival: The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (222 Court St. in Portsmouth; 570-8469, blackheritagetrailnh.org) will hold its Reggae Festival on Saturday, June 17, one of the Trail’s new events in celebration of Juneteenth, according to a press release. The festival will take place at the park at Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hanover St. in Portsmouth) from noon to 10 p.m. — the lineup so far includes Marcia Griffiths, Glen Washington, Brigadier Jerry, Nadine Sutherlan, Lady G and Onyx Brown, all accompanied by Derrick Barnett and the Statement Band, the release said. Tickets purchased by April 30 cost $30; starting May 1, tickets cost $60. VIP tickets, which include a whiskey tasting, priority access seating and a VIP Tent, cost $100. Children ages 6 to 10 cost $10. See blackheritagetrailnh.org/reggae-festival.
• Virtual visit: Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord will take part in a virtual author event on Wednesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. with Kat Howard, whose latest book is A Sleight of Shadows. The book continues the story begun in An Unkindness of Magicians, according to a press release. See gibsonsbookestore.com for registration for this Zoom event and for ticket and book packages.
• Horror night: Horror author Cassandra Khaw will visit Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) on Thursday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss her new novella The Salt Grows Heavy
Local printing company celebrates creativity of craft beer labels
On Thursday, April 20, printing company Amherst Label in Milford will display the art of the beer can label with a showcase called “Canvas,” featuring artwork from 18 craft beers brewed in New England and New York.
“We’re always about shelf appeal and asking, ‘How do you tell your story,’” said Amherst Label’s president, Nye Hornor. “These breweries have knocked it out of the park.”
Hornor and his team will welcome 150 guests at the opening show. At the time of reporting, approximately half of the slots had been filled for the opening.
The plan is to have the artwork on display for a year, Hornor said. He hopes to either have private showings for small groups or have another larger gathering later in 2023 to continue celebrating the artwork.
This is not the first art show Amherst Labels has hosted, Hornor said. For the company’s 40th anniversary it hosted professional artists. A few years later, before the pandemic, it held small shows of artwork by employees and their family members.
With this year being Amherst Label’s 45th anniversary, Hornor wanted to do something special.
“We have a passion for breweries,” he said, noting that labels tell a story. “Breweries make a story on their can and we have put it in a gallery.”
Hornor and Ruth Sterling, who is the marketing manager at Amherst Labels, reached out to their clients and had them choose the 18 label designs that would be featured in the show. Five of those designs come from New Hampshire breweries, including a design from Nashua’s Rambling House Food and Gathering and one from Concord’s Feathered Friend Brewing.
The artwork is set up with a 11- by 14-inch print of the artwork on the can, the can itself, and a quote from the artist telling the story behind the design. Visitors can scan a QR code to see more information about each of the artists and the art on display.
In addition to looking at the cans, visitors will be able to taste the beers that are displayed, have some tasty snacks and take a tour of the printing facilities.
While the show highlights the artists who design the cans, Hornor said it was important to recognize all the skill and effort that go into making each beer look perfect.
“Press men are artists,” said Hornor. “We have artists in house that work on artwork on a daily basis to … match up what the artwork is meant to look like and have it at the end of the press as art.”
Canvas Where: Amherst Label, 15 Westchester Drive, Milford When: Thursday, April 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. More info and to RSVP: www.amherstlabel.com/canvas-rsvp
Featured photo: The label for Formation 3 by Feathered Friend. Photoshop image by Tucker Jadczak.
Tyler Costa hasn’t had regular electric billssince 2021. Instead, he has lease payments of less than $150 a monththanks to solar panels installed on the roof of his Nashua home.
“I decided to get solar panels as I believe in renewable energy sources and wanted to reduce my carbon footprint,” Costa said.
While production is reduced during the winter months, any accumulated snow on the roof comes off fairly easily due to the dark, slippery surface of the panels, which warm up faster than shingles. “Lucky for me, I produce more than I consume, and the money I make comes back to me to make up [for] the small differences during the winter months,” Costa said.
This past year, utility costs skyrocketed to all-time highs in New Hampshire. This increase was in part due to our reliance on natural gas.
“In New England we rely heavily on natural gas to generate electricity,” said William Hinkle, media relations manager for Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest utility. “When the price of natural gas changes, we also see significant impacts to electric supply prices through New England, and that’s what we saw last year.”
One way to combat this is through the use of renewable energy sources.
What is renewable energy?
According to Rebecca Beaulieu, communications director and an organizer of 350 New Hampshire, renewable energy is defined as energy that is able to be harnessed continuously.
“Specifically, we mean clean renewable energy,” she said. “Ones where they’re not generating large amounts of waste or putting carbon dioxide, methane or other harmful chemicals into the air.”
Examples of such sources include solar and hydropower, and wind, biomass and geothermal energy.
“New Hampshire … is really far behind on renewable energy production,” Beaulieu said of New Hampshire compared to other New England states.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Energy, more than half of the energy generated in the state comes from nuclear power. In 2021, renewable energy sources accounted for 16 percent of our in-state electricity generation, compared to Maine at 72 percent, and Vermont at nearly 100 percent, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. (More than half of Vermont’s power comes from out of state, with the largest share coming from hydroelectric power, much of which is generated in Canada, according to the EIA.)
One of the most accessible forms of renewable energy for homeowners is solar power.
Around the sun
Solar power is sunlight converted by technology such as solar panels into electricity, as explained by the U.S. Department of Energy.
While it may have only accounted for 1 percent of the state’s total net generation, according to the EIA, Beaulieu points out that “most of New Hampshire’s solar energy production right now comes from households having solar panels on their roofs.”
Getting solar panels installed on your house is a three- to four-month process with dozens of steps, only four of which the customer is involved in. The first step is contacting a solar installation company and working out a house’s needs and space for solar panels.
“We very specifically design a system to that customer’s usage and that customer’s house and the angles on the roof and the position it sits facing the sun,” said Mark Robichaud, founder of Merrimack Solar, a solar panel installation company that services New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Next is a site survey. Trained engineers come to your home and assess whether or not your house can support a solar system by looking at the condition of the roof, the structure and the electrical system to see if it is susceptible to damage.
The third step is getting approval from your town. Not only are towns usually happy to approve of solar panel installation, but having solar panels installed on your house can increase your home’s value.
“The data bears out that houses with solar installed on them are making 4.1 percent more in sale and selling 16 percent faster than houses that do not have solar,” Robichaud said.
Lastly, before the installation process can begin, the customer needs to obtain permission from their utility company. This involves the company installing the solar panels writing up details along with a computer-aided design drawing to send over to the utility company.
“The utility makes that final determination of whether or not we can move forward,” Robichaud said.
Overall pricing, Robichaud said, comes down to the size and power of the system. He said a general rule of thumb is about $4 per watt, meaning a 5-kilowatt system runs about $20,000.
When going through Merrimack Solar, you can finance your solar system or agree to a power purchase agreement, where the customer doesn’t pay for installation, but for the electricity, at a lower price.
“If you go … ownership overall, you’re saving upward of $40,000 over your lifetime by going solar, because once a solar system is paid for, you don’t pay for electricity anymore in most cases,” Robichaud said. “We effectively become your power company.”
According to Robichaud, 95 percent of Merrimack Solar’s panels are made from recyclable material and are designed to last 40 years.
“Instead of using gas, coal and oil and falling victim to whatever they’re charging for those, you’re taking something that’s free, the sun, and converting it into electricity onsite and using it at your house,” Robichaud said. “You go from having no control over what you’re paying for your electricity to having complete control.”
Other renewable energy sources
Besides solar, other common forms of renewable energy include hydropower, wind power, biomass and geothermal energy.
Hydropower takes the energy from falling water and converts it into electricity via a generator. This energy source was responsible for 7 percent of New Hampshire’s total net generation in 2021, according to the EIA.
The Boscawen-based Granite State Hydropower Association has 50 small power plants across 35 towns in New Hampshire.
“If you look at some of the states with a high percentage of hydropower … they have some of the cheapest rates in the nation,” Association president Bob King said. “Hydropower … has no fuel cost, so it is not susceptible to the incredible increase in natural gas prices that is felt in the wallets of every ratepayer in New Hampshire.”
Not only is hydropower emissions-free, but it also helps clean out bodies of water in the process by sifting out debris and trash as the water flows through a screen.
A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electricity by a generator. For every 100 units of falling water kinetic energy, King said this produces about 80 to 90 units of electricity.
“It’s clean, it’s simple, it’s efficient,” he said.
When it comes to wind energy, EIA data shows that it made up 3 percent of New Hampshire’s in-state electricity generation. That could rise in the future with the Gulf of Maine wind farm, a project that New Hampshire is part of a task force for. According to the Gulf of Maine Association, this “sea within a sea” covers 36,000 square miles of ocean and has 7,500 miles of coastlines, bordering New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and parts of Canada.
“There are areas that have been designated in the Gulf of Maine and will continue to be refined for renewable energy and for offshore wind,” said Rob Werner, the state director for the League of Conservation Voters.
The Gulf of Maine receives some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. To best capture this power, the wind turbines, which would be positioned on floating platforms, will likely be positioned 25 to 50 miles from the coast. Harnessing the wind energy from the Gulf of Maine has the potential to serve not only Maine but New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Biomass is defined as fuel that comes from organic materials like wood and wood processing waste, agricultural crops and waste, sewage and animal manure. Converting such materials into energy prevents greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere during decomposition, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Wood seems to account for most of New Hampshire’s biomass, according to the EIA, which reports that it accounted for 6 percent of the state’s total net electricity generation in 2021. Eighty-six percent of this came from the forest industry. The use of biomass is important to the forest industry as well as to landowners, said Jasen Stock, the director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, as it gives another purpose to trees that are unsuitable for lumber.
“We have trees and we have a need to do forest management and so biomass is a great fit for managing land and at the same time making some renewable power,” Stock said. “You don’t get much more homegrown than that.”
Geothermal energy uses the heat flowing from the interior to the surface of the Earth. Wells are drilled into the earth to capture steam and hot water that can be used for electricity as well as heating and cooling.
In New Hampshire, the most commonly used type of geothermal system is referred to as an “open-loop” system, according to the state Department of Environmental Services. Groundwater is pumped out of the well and circulated through the building’s heat pump, where heat is extracted from or transferred into the water. That water is then re-injected either into the same well or a separate well dedicated to re-injection.
Used less frequently, according to the department, is what’s called a “closed-loop” system, by which an antifreeze solution or refrigerant is circulated through an installed pipe in the drilled well.
The carbon dioxide emissions from geothermal energy are just one-sixth the amount from natural gas power plants, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. Despite the high upfront costs, this energy source is cost-effective, can operate in high capacity and is not affected by or dependent on weather.
Closer to a renewable future
While New Hampshire may be behind its New England neighbors, the state is taking steps to catch up. The state’s Renewable Energy fund projects that by 2025, 25.3 percent of the state’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources.
“We do have the technology that we need to move to renewable energy and prioritize our communities over [the] fossil fuel industry,” Beaulieu said.
One recent example Beaulieu mentioned is a 3.3-megawatt solar array in Manchester, unveiled last year at a former Dunbarton Road landfill. According to a press release from Boston-based Kearsarge Energy, which has partnered with the City of Manchester to complete the project, the electricity produced by the more than 8,000 solar modules is enough to power hundreds of homes annually across the Queen City.
In December, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig announced that the city exceeded its initial projections for electricity produced from the array by 15 percent, generating about 4.37 million kilowatt hours of energy.
Beaulieu says that with solar and wind energy getting cheaper, the transition to renewable energy is becoming more feasible economically.
The environment has the ability to restore itself, she said, if we begin to take better care of it.
“There are a lot of individual people and businesses and legislatures moving this work forward,” Beaulieu said.
Local solar installation companies Here’s a list of southern New Hampshire-based companies that work to install solar panels on residential and commercial buildings.
• 603 Solar (24 Charter St., Exeter, 570-2607, 603solar.com) • Granite State Solar (15 Ryan Road, Bow, 369-4318, granitestatesolar.com) • Merrimack Solar (12 Madison Lane, Merrimack, 978-645-1261, merrimacksolar.com) • New England Solar Pros (60 Blossom St., Nashua, 318-3232, nesolarllc.com) • Seventh Gen Solar (814 Route 3A, Bow, 731-4777, seventhgensolar.com) • Sundial Solar (78 Mountain Road, Concord, 961-0045, sundialsolarnh.com) • Sunenergy Solutions (75 Gilcreast Road, Londonderry, 844-427-6527, sunenergysolutionsllc.com) • Sunup Solar (Auburn, 860-2509, sunupsolarnh.com)
Plug-in rides
Electric vehicle showcases for Earth Day and beyond
Jon Gundersen grew tired of making constant trips to the gas station during his long commutes to and from work. In 2011, he purchased his first electric car — a plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt — and he hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve been driving electric vehicles ever since,” he said. “My wife has a gas vehicle, so I’ve still pumped gas, but sometimes I’ll go several months before I visit a gas station now.”
Rivian R1T. Photo by Jon Gundersen.
Today, Gundersen is a member of the New England Electric Auto Association and volunteers with Drive Electric NH, a coalition promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the Granite State. He has been involved in several EV showcases across southern New Hampshire, which offer opportunities for attendees to meet owners and ask questions about their cars.
One such showcase is happening at the Nashua Public Library on Saturday, April 22, as part of the city’s inaugural Sustainability Fair and Earth Day Celebration.
Electric vehicles are on the rise in New Hampshire and nationally. According to a June 2022 report from the Edison Electric Institute, more than 26 million EVs are expected to be on U.S. roads by the year 2030 — that’s up from the projected 18.7 million in its 2018 report. More than 65 different EV models are on the market today, and the EEI projects that number will grow to nearly 140 by 2024.
In the Granite State, there are more than 180 public EV charging stations statewide, according to Drive Electric NH, from the Massachusetts border stretching all the way up to the Great North Woods town of Colebrook.
The obvious perk to driving an electric vehicle, Gundersen said, is not having to pump gas. Instead, he has his own 220-volt charger in his home that, when plugged into the car’s port overnight, fills its energy to capacity. Most EVs on the market, he said, can last anywhere between 250 and 350 miles on a full battery.
“Although electricity has gone up over the years, it’s still not too bad. For me, at least, it’s been pretty consistent,” Gundersen said. “When I first got an EV, it was costing me $30 a month in electricity, but at that time I was spending $300 a month on gas. So that was a huge difference … and even today it’s still a little over a third of the cost of driving with gas, for my car anyways. It would be like buying a car that’s like 80 miles to a gallon.”
Another one of Gundersen’s favorite things about EVs is their ability to generate instant torque.
“In an EV, the acceleration from zero to 60 [miles per hour], or even from 30 to 60, is incredibly quick,” he said. “You touch the gas [pedal] and you can feel yourself push back in the seat, it takes off that fast. There’s no waiting for a transmission to shift. It’s instantaneous. … I like being able to step on the gas and instantly pass a truck on the highway or whatever.”
Then there’s a featured mechanism called regenerative braking, which feeds energy back into the car’s battery simply by using its brakes.
“What happens is that when you take your foot off the gas, the electric motor acts sort of like a generator,” Gundersen said. “It’s generating power in a different way, creating a force that helps slow down the car … [and] while you’re slowing down the car is gaining energy in its battery.”
Gundersen will be at the Nashua Sustainability Fair on April 22 with the EV he currently drives, a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. His will be among at least eight registered models that will be on display in the library parking lot during the event, which will also feature local vendors, an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a fashion show at noon.
“Some of the EV owners have owned one for years, and some of them are brand new to owning one, even maybe just within the last few months,” Gundersen said. “Some of them will offer test drives, so they can take you around the block or just on a short little trip so that you can get a feel for what driving an electric car is like.”
Where to go check out electric vehicles
Source: driveelectricearthday.org
Nashua Sustainability Fair & Earth Day Celebration When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: Nashua Public Library parking lot, 6 Hartshorn Ave., Nashua Cost: Free admission Visit: nashualibrary.org/attend/sustainability-fair Co-sponsored by the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services and the Nashua Public Library, this free community event will bring together dozens of local exhibitors to celebrate Earth Day, including nonprofits working in different areas of sustainability like clean energy, farming and environmental justice. There will also be an electric vehicle showcase with more than half a dozen makes and models, whose owners may offer test drives or rides at their discretion, plus an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a thrift fashion show at noon.
Gilmanton Earth Day Celebration When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: Gilmanton Year Round Library, 1385 Route 140, Gilmanton Cost: Free admission Visit: gyrla.org In partnership with the Gilmanton Energy Committee, the Gilmanton Year Round Library, New Hampshire Sierra Club, Univix Power Solutions and the New Hampshire Electric Co-op, this free event will feature an electric vehicle showcase, solar panel and energy storage tours at the library, and a 2 p.m. all-ages hike on the nearby trails.
Durham Earth Day Celebration and EV Showcase When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: 66 Main St., Durham Cost: Free admission Visit: ci.durham.nh.us The town of Durham’s annual Earth Day celebration will feature a showcase of more than 15 electric vehicles by local owners, including some of the latest models. Some may even offer test drives or rides to attendees. There will also be displays supporting sustainable agriculture, plus information on home energy improvements and rebates, and details promoting composting as a means to reduce landfill waste.
Drive Electric Expo at the Monadnock Earth Day Festival When: Saturday, April 22, noon to 4 p.m. Where: Whitney Brothers parking area (adjacent to the Monadnock Food Co-op), 93 Railroad St., Keene Cost: Free admission Visit: monadnockfood.coop The Drive Electric Expo is happening as part of the Earth Day festival hosted by the Monadnock Food Co-op, the future site of southwestern New Hampshire’s first public electric vehicle fast chargers. Attendees will have the chance to see more than a dozen EVs, representing several different automakers and ranging from sub-compact cars to sedans, SUVs and trucks. Vehicle owners will be on hand to share their knowledge and enthusiasm and answer questions. Many also offer test drives and rides. A series of five-minute mini-talks is scheduled throughout the afternoon, covering everything from home and public charging to long road trips with an EV, electric police vehicles and financial incentives to reduce EV costs. There will also be informational literature to pick up and a free drawing for a chance to win prizes.
Lowell Drives Electric When: Saturday, April 29, noon to 4 p.m. Where: Heritage Farm Ice Cream, 163 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell, Mass. Cost: Free admission Visit: facebook.com/lowelldriveselectric Just over the state line in Lowell, Mass., Heritage Farm Ice Cream on Pawtucket Boulevard will be the site of an electric vehicle showcase with more than two dozen makes and models to check out. Vehicle owners will be on hand to answer questions from attendees about their experiences, and some may offer to take their cars for test drives.
Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Merrimack Solar.
