This groSolar photo shows the 4.7MW solar farm, with the Sandia test center in the upper left center and the GlobalFoundries plant in Essex Junction across the Winooski River to the right.
by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The state’s largest utility has partnered with the state’s largest manufacturer to develop the state’s largest solar energy array. Vermont’s newest solar farm is now generating electricity in Williston. Owned by Green Mountain Power and located on GlobalFoundries property, the sprawling facility off Mountain View Drive will generate more than 8 million kilowatt hours every year, or the equivalent energy to power more than 1,100 homes.
“As Vermont’s Energy Transformation Company, we are committed to keeping our energy costs down for our customers by developing clean, locally generated power,” said Mary Powell, President and CEO of Green Mountain Power. “We are excited to work with GlobalFoundries to bring this solar array to life to benefit our customers and show once again how energy can be a force for good and economic development.”
GlobalFoundries will use 500 kilowatts from the 4.7 megawatt project, with the balance provided to GMP customers. GlobalFoundries is also GMP's largest customer.
“It is a significant amount of solar energy,” Powell said. The solar farm is comprised of about 20,000 panels on fixed racks.
“As an important economic engine for the state, we are so pleased to continue to innovate and use clean energy technology to power our Essex Junction facility,” said Janette Bombardier, Senior Location Executive of GlobalFoundries. “While this is a portion of the power we use, solar is an important part of supporting peak power loads. The data that will come from the facility will continue to help understand and develop this clean energy resource.”
Bombardier said on a slow November day that GlobalFoundries will use 850,000 kilowatt hours. GlobalFoundries, she said, uses more electricity than the city of Burlington.
“It is a very small piece of our energy needs,” Bombardier said.
The bulk of the energy, Powell said, will feed into GMP’s overall energy portfolio and is just the next step in what she called the “energy revolution.”
This project was rolled out at half the cost of a typical solar farm, she said, because of the collaborative nature between GMP, GlobalFoundries and the town of Williston, but also because GMP is essentially the wholesaler and retailer of the power. This, she said, was why the Lowell wind project GMP also owns was so cost effective.
Janette Bombardier, left, Senior Location Executive of GlobalFoundries, and Mary Powell, CEO of GMP at GlobalFoundries in Essex Junction November 29. VBM photo.
Powell pointed out that GMP electric rates are lower now than they were in 2012.
Another important aspect of this project is that, “The energy source is close to where it’s needed.” In this case in the heart of Chittenden County. This reduces transmission costs, she said.
Another advantage to both GMP customers in general and GlobalFoundries in particular is the nature of solar power itself. Solar power peaks when electricity is needed most, on sunny days in the summer.
Bombardier said this reduces load demands and reduces the need for buying power on the spot market, which she described as the “most expensive and dirtiest” option.
GlobalFoundries owns over 750 acres at its property in Essex and Williston. The 56-acre solar site is leased to GMP.
Also located on GlobalFoundries property next to GMP’s solar facility is Sandia National Labs’ Vermont Photovoltaic Regional Test Center (RTC), which conducts research on solar technology.
The Vermont RTC is one of five such facilities in the US that provides critical performance data on photovoltaic (PV) systems, including determining the effectiveness of operating in a climate with harsh winters, significant precipitation, and dramatic weather changes. The Vermont RTC is the only cold weather site of the five.
Green Mountain Power plans to share data from the solar plant with Sandia as a way to contribute towards the transformation of the economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Powell praised Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for urging Sandia three years ago to set up the RTC in Vermont in the first place, which ultimately helped move the GMP solar farm forward.
The Williston solar facility was built by groSolar, a well-known and experienced Vermont solar company. The project received a Certificate of Public Good from the Public Service Board and stormwater permits, following archaeological, aesthetic and other studies.
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont.
Source: GMP 11.29.2016