Soltage-Greenwood, a joint venture between premier North American solar power provider Soltage, LLC, and Greenwood Energy, the North and Latin American clean energy division of the Libra Group, announced Wednesday the official commissioning of a 2.7-megawatt (MW) solar power system located on Casella Waste Systems’ Coventry, Vermont, landfill site. The array is the largest solar project built on a landfill site in Vermont, and is expected to generate 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually from more than 9,000 solar panels. It was connected to the grid August 15. Energy will be sold through a 25-year power purchase agreement to Vermont Electric Power Producers Inc. (VEPP Inc), a purchasing agent appointed by the Vermont Public Service Board under Vermont’s Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Standard Offer Program.
“We are pleased to announce the completion of this solar facility on the Coventry landfill site,” said Jesse Grossman, Soltage Co-Founder and CEO. “The Coventry project is an excellent example of how solar technology can provide affordable and reliable power to domestic energy consumers.”
The solar array is located on the buffer zone for Vermont’s only active landfill, and was designed and constructed by Borrego Solar Systems Inc. The methane generation facility at the landfill provides about two-thirds of Washington Electric Cooperative's members’ electricity needs.
Soltage-Greenwood brought the project from shovel-ready to commissioned status, and invested capital financing for the project as part of a previously announced $40 million investment in solar power by a consortium of investors led by John Hancock and the Libra Group.
“We’re excited to officially commission the Coventry solar power plant and add new solar power capacity in Vermont,” said Camilo Patrignani, Greenwood Energy CEO. “This project demonstrates how renewable energy can succeed when access to upfront capital and a turnkey development approach are paired with supportive government policy.”
Casella Waste Systems, which owns the Coventry landfill, was the original development partner on this solar power system project. When combined with Casella’s existing 8 megawatt on-site methane-to-energy facility, all available property is now being used to generate clean power.
“This project illustrates the spirit of collaboration at its best,” said Joe Harrison, project developer at Borrego Solar. “All parties had an eagle eye on getting the project completed and brought online as quickly and smoothly as possible.”
Source: New York, September 17, 2014 – Soltage-Greenwood. VERY TOP PHOTO: The Coventry solar project as it looked in July.