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Solar News

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Posted on: December 28 2010 Tags:

WESTBOROUGH — As residents drive along Rte 135 on Milk Street and cross over the bridge, they may catch a glimpse of a new solar farm positioned on open land next to the train tracks.

With the installation nearing completion, this $2 million project will provide National Grid with an alternate form of energy, cut future costs for the private owner of the solar farm, and educate the town on the benefits of clean energy.

Bruce Forrestall, who sells energy generated by the solar panels to National Grid, owns the solar farm.

“This demonstrates that a private citizen and developer can use property in Westborough (for a solar farm),” said Leigh Emery, chairperson of the Green Technology Advisory Committee, which helps educate the town on sustainable energy. “I think it’s wonderful for the town to see this entrepreneurial project, and for other developers to see that the town building and permit process are in favor of solar energy projects.”

Back in 2008, Forrestall installed solar panels on the roof of his car wash on Rte 9 near Lyman Street in Westborough.

“It was a small project, but very successful,” Forrestall said.

Forrestall said the success of his car wash gave him the idea for a bigger project, and he discussed the possibility with SolarFlair, a solar energy company based in Framingham.

Over three months, Forrestall and SolarFlair converted the 2-acre parcel into a 240-kilowatt solar farm. In all, the farm houses 860 solar panels.

According to Solar Flair Manager of Business Development Dan Greenwood, as the solar panels generate electricity, it is transferred into wires for National Grid and distributed to power buildings throughout the town. A meter keeps track of how much energy is collected, and that amount offsets the costs of Forrestall’s electric bill.

“The energy collected goes to National Grid and they give me a credit,” said Forrestall. He said he will use the credits to pay for energy at his local businesses and property.

As for the town, Greenwood said area houses and a local shopping plaza will use electricity generated from the panels. However,  he cannot calculate exactly which homes will directly receive electricity generated by the panels.

“The more solar generators we install, the less demand there is for fossil fuel-type electricity,” said Greenwood.

Greenwood said that on a sunny day, the solar panels will collect energy, reducing the need for fossil fuel plants to generate electricity. In all, the system will produce 8.28 million kilowatt hours during its 30-year expected lifespan, displacing 7.5 million pounds of carbon emissions. This energy will power 45 homes for 30 years or power an SUV for 400,000 miles, Greenwood said.

According to Greenwood, the project will receive a 16.5 percent return on equity. Thirty percent of the cost to create the farm will also be covered by the ARRA Federal Stimulus 1603 Treasury Grant and the Massachusetts Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program. The 1603 Grant will be paid within 60 days after the completion of the project, Greenwood said.

Prior to this new solar energy project, Forrestall installed a $150,000 solar panel project on the roof of his car wash on Rte 9. Also working with Solar Flair, he completed the 99-panel solar energy project in 2008. According to Forrestall, the energy produced from those panels covers 30 percent of his energy costs.

Within the past few years, other town businesses have also started going solar.

In 2009, two local car dealerships, Dan’s Jeep Chrysler Dodge, Inc. and Westboro Mitsubishi on Rte 9, installed solar panels on the roofs of their buildings to reduce energy costs and become more energy-efficient.

Emery also said Forrestall is a member of the Green Technology Advisory Committee and has offered his knowledge on solar power to help with future town projects.

“One of projects on our agenda will be to assess the ability to set up a solar farm for the town,” Emery said. “This demonstrates that we can do this in Westborough and also the committee benefits from the knowledge that Bruce (Forrestall) has earned from his experience.”

By Kelleigh Welch/Daily News staff
 



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