2014 Ground-Mount Project of the Year Honorable Mentions

Plymouth Public Schools | Plympton, Massachusetts | 5.7 MW

Developer/Contractor: Borrego Solar
Modules: Yingli Solar
Inverters: SMA America
Mounting: SunLink

Originally, the project plan consisted of eight to 10 smaller solar arrays across Plymouth Public Schools’ facilities, but old roof structures and harsh winters prevented rooftop installation. Instead, the plan shifted toward creating a large farm on private land, which required Borrego Solar to identify a private landowner within the same utility load zone to arrange a site lease agreement.

The array covers 23 acres of land (equal to about 18 football fields) and will produce approximately 7.2 million kWh per year for the school district that serves 13 schools and approximately 7,900 enrolled students. Plymouth Public Schools will save around $400,000 annually, offsetting approximately 80% of the district’s energy needs. The system was financed by Borrego Solar through a PPA that covered all financing costs, allowing the district to bypass the $11 million upfront cost. Solar is also being incorporated into curriculum plans, including field trips to the installation and use of energy production data being streamed to monitoring kiosks on campuses and online.

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/featured/2014-ground-mount-project-year-honorable-mentions/]