The town of Bristol is going back to its roots with a new solar array.A ribbon cutting Friday marked the start of operations of the array next to the town's water and sewer department.Renewable energy isn't a new idea in Bristol. In the late 1800s, hydropower plants on Newfound River provided all the town's energy.As the population grew and demand rose, the town moved to centralized power. But now, leaders say they realized that unused town land could be a valuable resource."The opportunity to take town property and have it produce electricity for us was something that we thought was quite evident and obvious," said Paul Bemis, of the Bristol Energy Committee. "There is an opportunity in terms of tradition to get back to where we were in the past and become energy independent one more time."Bristol still has hydropower, along with biomass and windmills nearby.As part of its partnership with Barrington Power, Bristol has a guaranteed rate on solar power for the next 25 years.