Governor Peter Shumlin has announced that construction has been completed on three solar projects at state correctional facilities in St Johnsbury, St Albans and Windsor, the first projects to go online in the largest public solar initiative in the history of Vermont. These 500kW projects are part of an initiative to provide solar power to state government facilities, including each of the state’s correctional facilities, several state office buildings, as well as the pavilion building that houses several state offices, including the Governor’s. Utilizing Vermont's group net metering law, the three recently-completed projects will provide power to 12 state facilities. The completed initiative is slated to provide energy for a total of 19 state buildings. Construction of the additional projects will continue through 2015.
Overall, the solar initiative will produce more than 7 million kilowatt hours of energy for state buildings each year and provide over $2.5 million in taxpayer savings over 20 years with no cost and no risk to the state. The projects were developed by SolarSense, a provider of reliable and affordable renewable energy in the US.
“Vermont is at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in America, and this is just one more example of how we are leading the way,” Shumlin said. “We will continue to invest in energy innovation going forward because it creates jobs, saves money for Vermonters and helps ensure a more livable planet for future generations.”
“Let the sun shine on Vermont, where its captured renewable energy will power state buildings and save the taxpayers’ money while protecting the environment,” said Buildings & General Services Commissioner, Michael Obuchowski.
The projects in St. Johnsbury, St. Albans and Windsor all utilized Vermont-made AllEarth Solar Trackers, which follow the sun throughout the day to maximize energy production. They are manufactured in Williston, Vt. by AllEarth Renewables. Construction of the projects began this past September and were installed utilizing local labor from ECI of Williston, Vt., Stone Hammer of Marshfield, Vt., and Timberline Electric of Williston, Vt.
"Through the hard work of our manufacturing team and local installation partners, we are making great progress on this initiative. 2015 should be another busy and exciting year. This initiative demonstrates some of the best recent advances in solar technology and project finance have to offer -- reliable, local renewable energy that can save customers money right out of the gate," said Andrew Savage, Chief Strategy Officer at AllEarth Renewables.