Hopkinton may be joining the push to adopt community power and buy its own electricity rather than paying the local utility, with a public hearing set for Monday on the topic.

The hearing from the Community Power Committee will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in Town Hall. It is designed to provide basic information and answer questions about the program, which started running in New Hampshire last summer.

Hopkinton voters are likely to see the question of whether to adopt community power on the warrant at its town meeting in March.

About 50 towns and cities are already in the community power system or will join it in the spring, while many others including Concord are considering it.

Community power is a process allowed under state law that lets communities buy electricity on the open market and then resell it to residents and small businesses.

It creates the possibility of getting cheaper power as well as more electricity from renewable sources. It has long been available for large commercial users but only became feasible for homes and small businesses recently.

Hopkinton has already joined the Community Power Coalition, a non-profit group that helps communities with the complexities of the process.

For details about the program and the town’s coalition, see the website at www.hopkinton-nh.gov/community-power-committee-0