CVPS selects Rutland, Royalton companies to build solar array

RUTLAND, Vt. – Central Vermont Public Service has selected Rutland and Royalton companies to build the first major solar project in the state to feed power exclusively onto the grid, rather than use it on-site.
CVPS has selected CV Solar and Wind, a small Rutland company, and ReKnew Energy Systems Inc. of South
Royalton to build the 50-kilowatt solar array along Route 7, just south of the black water tower near the CVPS Rutland District Service Center.
“This project will not only provide clean, renewable energy and give CVPS first-hand experience with PV technology, but due to its location just feet from Route 7 in Rutland Town, it will become a tremendous educational tool,” CVPS President Bob Young said. “CV Solar and Wind and ReKnew were selected as the contractors for their technical skill and experience, and their dedication to making this project a ‘classroom’ for Vermonters of all ages.”
Young said the solar project would play host to visits from thousands of school children each year through collaborative efforts of the three companies. CV Solar and Wind, started by John Blittersdorf in Rutland in 1996, was the overwhelming choice of a panel of CVPS employees involved in the project.
“John Blittersdorf’s enthusiasm and expertise were unmatched by any of the companies that bid,” CVPS project leader Marty Bowen said. “His excitement and his commitment to partner with us to educate Vermonters about renewable energy scored high points in our decision matrix.”
Blittserdorf, a Pittsford native who has used solar and wind energy to power his off-the-grid Chittenden home for three decades, said the CV site offered a tremendous opportunity. “Not only will this project be among the biggest solar installations in the state, it will be a symbol to the hundreds of thousands of people who will drive by it each year on the Route 7 corridor,” Blittersdorf said. “We are thrilled to be a partner in the project.”
Under an agreement between the companies, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will complete the high-voltage electrical work, and students from the Stafford Technical Center will get hands-on educational experience installing the panels.
“We wanted to make full use of this project as an educational tool, and continue to build on our strong relationship with the IBEW,” Young said. “CV Solar’s excitement about working with both groups was a big plus. Some bidders said they would do so, but CV Solar’s enthusiasm was obvious and genuine.”
Added Blittersdorf: “IBEW members do high-quality work and are supportive of renewable energy. Having Stafford students working alongside our staff will give them valuable experience to begin a career in this field. We hope this project will begin an ongoing collaboration between CV Solar and Stafford Technical Center.”
“Our union, in collaboration with organizations like CVPS, is clearly at the forefront of green collar job creation and Vermont’s burgeoning renewable energy movement,” said IBEW Local 300 Business Manager Jeffrey Wimette. “This project will bolster the first-of-its-kind solar training program for electricians that we unveiled in 2008, by allowing our members to apply their photovoltaic expertise to one of the state’s largest, highest-profile solar endeavors.”
The solar project will include about 265 solar panels, each 3 by 5 feet wide. The project, along with Glen Station, a CVPS hydro facility across the road, will include a renewable education program where students will learn about two renewable projects at one site.
Young said CVPS, which has among the cleanest energy portfolios in the country, would continue to support and develop new renewable energy projects. The company will expand CVPS Cow Power™ to up to four more farms this year and will begin a collaborative study of the potential of Lake Champlain weeds as an energy crop this spring.
“CVPS is committed to maintaining both its price advantage and its clean energy mix in the years ahead,” Young said. “Today’s announcement is but one example of our commitment.”