A 5 MW solar array providing power to a nearby university was inaugurated Thursday in Middlebury, Vermont. With the help of Encore renewable energy And Greenbacker renewable energy40% of Middlebury College’s electricity is powered by solar energy.
The solar array is one of the largest in the state, with 15,348 solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers.
Credit: Encore Renewable Energy
“It has truly been a collaborative effort to get the solar panels fully powered and ready to provide renewable clean energy to the college,” said Lauri L. Patton, president of Middlebury College, noting that Middlebury students helped create the project through a partnership in support of climate justice.
Middlebury College will retain the renewable energy credits generated by the array, moving it closer to meeting climate goals in its goal of using 100% renewable electricity by 2028. Middlebury College, Encore and the utility company Green Mountain Power (GMP) arranged for the college to purchase renewable energy credits.
The remaining 60% of Middlebury College’s electricity comes from the biomass power plant, other local solar sites and the GMP grid, which is 100% carbon-free and 68 percent renewable.
Chad Farrell, founder and co-CEO of Encore, said the project is the first of its kind in Vermont, “delivering a new model of customer-driven, low-cost clean energy without negative economic impact on other ratepayers.”
The solar array, located approximately two miles from the Middlebury campus, was developed and built by Encore and is now owned and operated by Greenbacker – an independent energy producer and energy transition-focused investment manager.
“This solar power plant is one of the first in Vermont to actually track the sun from east to west, allowing us to generate between 15 and 20% more energy, lowering electricity costs for Middlebury,” said Matt Murphy, COO of Greenbacker .
South Street Storage, a battery system built next to the solar panel, is also part of the project and will store excess energy that would otherwise be lost in the middle of the day, when electricity demand is lower and the sun is brightest.
News item from Encore Renewable Energy