Massachusetts project the national leader in solar energy

The Westford facility is unique in that all of the project’s key players — from the developer and its financiers to the operator and its utility partner — are Massachusetts companies.

Solar park set to warm region Boston Globe, By Brenda J. Buote Globe Correspondent / May 6, 2012“………Through successful public-private partnerships, the amount of solar installed in Massachusetts has soared from 3.5 megawatts in 2007 to more than 92 megawatts, according to Richard K. Sullivan Jr., secretary of the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The Westford project is one of several large-scale renewable energy developments spurred by the Massachusetts Green Communities Act, which was signed into law by Patrick in 2008 to support renewable energy and efficiency projects. The state approved a $5.8 million Qualified Energy Conservation Bond allocated by the US Treasury for the Westford Solar Park. When he flipped the switch on the facility during a ceremony late last month, Patrick called the growth of solar power in Massachusetts “a winning strategy” that is generating both clean energy and new jobs, “leading us out of the recession faster than other states.”

The governor noted that because of recent efforts, Massachusetts now surpasses California as the nation’s leader in renewable energy.

“Solar panels like the ones you see here cost $10 a watt back in 1980,” said Jim Goldenberg, cofounder of Cathartes. “In 2008, they cost $4 a watt. Today, they cost about 85 cents. The development of projects like this will continue to drive that cost down.”

The Westford facility is unique in that all of the project’s key players — from the developer and its financiers to the operator and its utility partner — are Massachusetts companies. National Grid, the largest electricity transmission service provider in New England, will connect the Westford facility to the company’s distribution system, purchasing the energy through the state’s new net-metering law.

The project is Nexamp’s largest to date, said Will Thompson, senior vice president of construction, noting that the facility is already delivery energy to its first client, the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

According to Chancellor Marty Meehan, the new partnership will save the university $800,000 in electricity costs over the next 20 years. “Through our participation in this solar energy project, UMass Lowell is showing that sustainability is not only the right thing to do for the health of our planet, but that it can also be fiscally sound,” Meehan said. ….. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/05/06/westford_solar_park_spurs_jobs_and_sparks_the_imagination/

May 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA

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