S&C Electric Company, a global leader in renewable energy integration, today announces a $9.7 million USD project with Green States Energy for construction of a 4.1-MW solar photovoltaic farm in Sandwich, Mass. This project will help Massachusetts reach its larger goal of developing 400 MW of solar photovoltaic power in the Commonwealth.
In 2003, Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS), which requires distribution utilities and competitive suppliers to obtain a percentage of their electricity from qualifying units. In 2010, the state issued new regulations that carved out a portion of the RPS to support the growth of in-state solar photovoltaic energy.
GSE’s Sandwich solar project qualifies to receive the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SRECs) units issued through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Utilities can purchase these SRECs to meet the state’s RPS goal. GSE’s goal is to start selling the SRECs by January 1, 2014, which required them to select a partner that could meet an aggressive three-month deadline for building the solar farm.
“S&C recently completed construction on Green States Energy’s 2.5 MW solar farm in Roswell, N.M., a project under a turnkey, fixed-price contract,” says Stephen Clevett, CEO, Green States Energy. “Due to the success of that project, we were able to quickly transition the S&C project team to the Sandwich, Mass., site so that it could be completed by the end of the year.”
S&C was also chosen by GSE for its experience working with and conducting solar interconnection studies for the local utility serving the Sandwich, Mass., project. These studies are required when evaluating the feasibility of connecting large amounts of variable generation, like solar PV, to the grid.
“When building a solar farm, it’s important to understand utility interconnection requirements upfront, engineer a successful project and finish construction on time in order to maximize return on investment,” says Dan Girard, director, Business Development–Renewable Energy and Energy Storage, S&C. “S&C has a proven track record of being a dependable start-to-finish partner for these kinds of renewable projects, and we’re happy to have the opportunity to work with Green States Energy on another project.”
The project team will be led by S&C, which will provide engineering, procurement and project management services for both the AC and DC portions of the project. Charlotte, N.C.,-based Green Earth Developers LLC is providing physical construction services including installation of the racking systems, solar panels and construction management of the DC systems and AC interconnection.
— Solar Builder magazine
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