Ameresco announced it is constructing the 2.4 MW solar facility in the Town of Sturbridge.
The project is expected to be completed and operational in early 2017.
The solar array will be located on property behind the Center at Hobbs Brook that is otherwise considered unusable land due to its location.
The company has entered into 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), which is expected to provide millions of dollars in electricity cost savings over the duration of the contract.
Under the PPA, fifty percent of annual electricity generated from the facility will be used by the Town in the form of metering credits, and the other half by the Community Solar Program which will deliver the green power to residents in the region.
Leon Gaumond, Town Administrator, Sturbridge, said, “This project will go a long way to meet the Town’s energy goal of increasing our alternative energy production.”
Michael T. Bakas, senior vice president, Ameresco, said, “We commend Town leadership for being fiscally prudent in selecting a project that will generate long-term savings and admire the community’s commitment to sustainability.”
The annual environmental benefits of this project are equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 8,868 passenger vehicles driven a year or 4,433 homes’ energy use for one year.
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