The Green Communities Act of 2008 is starting to see some of its grants, loans and other clean energy incentives come to fruition, and Western Mass. is leading the way.
Western Mass. Electric Company (WMECo) has announced development of the first of its proposed large-scale solar facilities (to be located in Pittsfield). The 1.8 megawatt installation will be located, in accordance with one of its mandates, at a brownfield site on Silver Lake Road, not far from where the General Electric PCB cleanup is on its way to completion.
The site is comprised of two parcels of land, one six-acre parcel owned by WMECo and a two-acre parcel in the William Stanley Business Park owned by the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA). Instrumental in getting the project off the ground were state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, and Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto, who hope it will also help to bring other economic opportunities to the city.
“Integrating renewable energy projects with the redevelopment of these brownfield properties is a win-win for our city and a valuable contribution toward the Commonwealth’s energy and environmental objectives,” said Ruberto.
Expected to cost between $10 million and $12 million to build, the facility will increase the City of Pittsfield’s property tax revenue by an estimated $200,000 annually and generate enough power to heat approximately 1,800 homes, making it the largest solar power facility in New England and a prototype for several other planned installations.
The company expects the consumer impact of its entire large-scale solar program to be modest, “amounting initially to about 60 cents per month for an average residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month.” Construction on the Pittsfield plant is planned for the spring.
This past August, WMECo became the first state utility authorized to own and operate large-scale solar facilities within its service area, which includes Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin and Berkshire counties. The utility has been granted permission to install up to 6 megawatts of solar by the Mass. Department of Public Utilities, which, under the GCA, plans to incorporate a total of 250 megawatts of solar-powered energy generation facilities statewide by 2017.
“Today’s announcement provides tangible evidence that large-scale solar is becoming a reality in the Commonwealth,” said Peter Clarke, WMECo president and chief operating officer. “Solar energy facilities like these will provide the platform necessary to demonstrate that solar can play a viable role in meeting the renewable energy needs of the Commonwealth while contributing to the economic development of the region.”
Sixteen solar firms have been qualified to bid on WMECo’s solar projects, which have been specifically targeted to try to utilize brownfield sites and capped landfills, open-space properties that typically have few other uses, are usually already owned by utilities, municipalities or other local and regional economic development organizations and are hence suited for development as solar facilities.
WMECo plans to complete its 6 megawatt program by 2012, and under the GCA is further authorized to initiate projects that could bring its total ownership of solar facilities to 50 megawatts.
WMECo, part of the Northeast Utilities System, currently serves approximately 200,000 customers in 59 communities. WMECo was contacted to ascertain whether any solar projects were planned for Hampshire, Hampden or Franklin counties, but a representative for the utility had not responded by press time.
