New solar array in Rehoboth unveiled [View all]

http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20140814/NEWS/140818356/1994/NEWS



New solar array in Rehoboth unveiled

REHOBOTH — On a patch of farmland nestled next to some corn fields, a Colorodo-based clean energy company unveiled a “community-owned” solar array on Wednesday, which it says will produce almost 1.43 kilowatt hours of electricity per year while providing a total of $400,000 in annual electric bill savings.

The Clean Energy Collective held a ribbon-cutting ceremony late Wednesday afternoon for its newly completed 1 megawatt capacity solar array at 116 Barney Ave. The company said that the 3,322 solar panels that make up the array are now “fully subscribed” by local customers who paid $1,215 per panel for a lifetime’s worth of energy.

Wednesday’s event was held at the Crestwood Country Club due to rain, but a brief tour was also held at the Barney Avenue solar array.

The solar array is just the beginning of investment in Massachusetts by the Clean Energy Collective, which is also holding a ribbon-cutting soon for another solar array in Hadley. The company’s business model is based on individual investments in its solar arrays by people or groups who may not be able to put a solar panel on their home or property. The Clean Energy Collective partners with electricity providers, like National Grid, in this case, to delivery the power.