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State and Local Officials Celebrate Holliston Community Solar Project

by Katie Kinne
11/15/2016

State and Local Officials Celebrate Holliston Community Solar Project, Component of Statewide Effort to Expand Access to Solar For All

Clean Energy Collective hosts Rep. Carolyn Dkyema, others for a ribbon cutting recognizing a major acceleration in clean energy and economic development in Massachusetts. Clean Energy Collective (CEC), the nation’s leading community solar solutions provider, today joined state and local officials in celebrating its 1.3 megawatt (MW) Holliston Community Solar Array, a project that will provide nearly $700,000 in electricity bill savings for Eversource residential and business customers over 20 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax revenue for the Town of Holliston. The Holliston Community Solar Array is part of a comprehensive portfolio of community solar projects by CEC that includes 31 facilities totaling more than 43 MW of clean power deployed across the Commonwealth by early 2017.

“The Commonwealth is a national leader in solar energy, harnessing the full potential of clean energy innovations to reduce costs and carbon emissions,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “The Baker-Polito Administration is committed to working with municipal partners across Massachusetts to expand community solar projects, saving ratepayers and taxpayers thousands of dollars annually that can be reinvested into the community.”



“Holliston has a strong record in clean energy innovation, and this new project will help our community to expand solar power at a lower cost,” said Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland), who provided a congratulatory citation to CEC on behalf of the Senate. “In the Legislature and in our communities, we continue to encourage innovative clean energy technologies, economic development and sustainability. Congratulations to Clean Energy Collective on the completion of this new array, and thank you for your work to strengthen the MetroWest and Massachusetts clean energy economy.”

“New, renewable sources of energy are critical if we’re going to meet our future needs in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way,” said Representative Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston), who provided a congratulatory citation to CEC on behalf of the House of Representatives. “This solar project is an example of what can happen when communities make energy projects a priority and work collaboratively to turn them into a reality. I’m proud to live in a community where both residents and businesses want to be part of our clean energy future.”



This milestone exemplifies a major acceleration in clean energy development, job creation, and economic value in Massachusetts as community solar advances as an economical and broadly accessible renewable energy option for those unable to install solar panels on their roofs.
Through CEC’s RooflessSolar™ program, Massachusetts electric customers can lower their electricity costs and support local clean power generation without the need for a solar-suitable roof or a large upfront payment. This option is especially attractive for renters, those with tree-shaded roofs, commercial customers with multiple locations, and non-profits. Residential and business customers subscribe to a portion of the shared array, optimally designed and sited for maximum power production, and receive credit directly on their monthly utility bills.

“By hosting this new array, the town of Holliston is helping to lead the charge for solar development in Massachusetts – which is already among the nation’s top states for solar power,” said Tom Sweeney, CEC’s Chief Strategic Markets Officer. “This project, and others like it, will provide more access and opportunity for people to support locally generated clean energy and save money at the same time. We appreciate the strong pro-solar policies implemented by state legislators and the Baker Administration, as well as the participation of forward-thinking Massachusetts businesses.”
One of those businesses is TD Garden, New England’s largest sports and entertainment arena, an anchor customer in the Holliston Community Solar Array.



“Delaware North, owner and operator of TD Garden, is committed to finding new ways to bring an environmentally responsible approach to all our arena operations,” said Amy Latimer, President of TD Garden. “As one of the first in the industry to adopt a company-wide environmental management system, GreenPath, we are grateful to CEC and the Baker administration for bringing this project close to home and allowing us another opportunity to help reduce our environmental footprint.”

Massachusetts will be one of the leading states for solar development this year, and community solar will be the primary reason for that achievement. Over the course of the next few months, CEC expects to complete construction on 30 additional community shared solar farms, including facilities in Fairhaven, Goshen, Kingston, Marion, Orange, Plympton, Swansea, Uxbridge, Wareham, and West Bridgewater. With construction of these facilities, CEC is investing nearly $90 million in the Commonwealth, including more than $15 million in grid upgrades that benefit all electricity users. In addition, these community solar projects create high-paying jobs and long-term tax revenue for local jurisdictions.



Sweeney noted the substantial contributions and accomplishments by teams of civil engineers, land managers, electricians, and utility staff who, through their work on community shared solar projects, are putting clean, affordable solar power within reach of virtually everyone across the Commonwealth. The U.S. solar industry now employs over 200,000 Americans, more than auto manufacturing or coal mining, with more than 15,000 solar workers in Massachusetts. Solar is among the fastest growing industries nationwide, and continues to be an economic development and job creation engine for Massachusetts.

The Holliston Community Solar Array will also deliver significant environmental benefit, displacing more than 34.5 million kilowatt hours of fossil fuel-generated electricity over 20 years – thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 61.1 million pounds. This is roughly equivalent to the greenhouse gas benefits of planting nearly 95,000 trees or avoiding emissions from 69.3 million miles of automobile travel.



CEC’s growth in Massachusetts reflects a national trend as demand for community solar increases exponentially across the country. GreenTech Media has identified community solar as the next largest solar growth market in the US, as recognition grows of the need to make solar accessible and affordable for all consumers.

More information about CEC’s RooflessSolar™ program can be found at www.cleanenergyco.com or by calling (857) 259-5415.

For more photos from the event, please click here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2QWhOMVW-i_R21hSHhpQjVfVjg

About Clean Energy Collective.
A solar tech start-up in 2009, Clean Energy Collective (CEC) has grown to become the world’s leading developer of community solar solutions. CEC pioneered the model of delivering clean power-generation through medium-scale solar PV facilities accessible to all utility customers. Since establishing the country’s first community-owned solar array near El Jebel, Colorado in 2010, CEC has built or has under development more than 100 RooflessSolar™ projects with 27 utility partners across 12 states, serving thousands of customers, and representing more than 177 MW of community solar capacity. CEC is also the leading provider of community solar software and services to the utility, development and financial industries through its Community Solar Platform™. www.cleanenergyco.com


Above, l to r,  Jeff Lock, Senior Vice President of Project Development, Clean Energy Collective and Rep Carolyn Dykema hold the ribbon as Town Manager Jeff Ritter makes the cut.

Comments (2)

Fisher Street on the Medway line

Bobby Blair | 2016-11-16 09:32:49

So, where is it located?

Ken Bamberry | 2016-11-15 19:40:10