Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced the completion of a 500 kilowatt solar net metering project at the Southern State Correctional Facility, the fifth of seven state correctional facilities to be powered by solar.
The project is part of an initiative the Governor announced in September of 2013 to deploy 5 megawatts of solar power that will increase the state’s use of renewable energy while saving taxpayers on state energy costs.
“This is a perfect example of how we do renewable energy in Vermont,” said Gov. Shumlin. “Local solar that powers our public buildings all while creating and supporting local jobs. I’m so proud of the state for leading by example.”
The project at the Southern State Correctional Facility is using solar trackers made by AllEarth Renewables of Williston, and the trackers feature local components, including electrical boards manufactured by PCM Image-Tek of Springfield, less than 3 miles from the project site.
“As a local manufacturer, it’s great to have work within Vermont’s growing solar industry and even more rewarding to see the results of our work powering a project just down the road. We see a bright future in Vermont’s solar sector,” said PCM-ImageTek President Mike Hathaway.
“We are pleased to continue making progress on this initiative and to be helping the state save taxpayer money, create good local jobs, and keep electric costs down while producing Vermont-made solar energy,” said Andrew Savage, Chief Strategy Officer at AllEarth Renewables. “With manufacturing and supply partners for our locally made tracker around the state like PCM Image-Tek, projects like this show first-hand the role of the Vermont solar industry creating jobs and adding value to the state.”
Upon completion, the state solar initiative will save taxpayers more than $2.5 million in energy costs over twenty years with no state investment, while producing over 7 million kilowatt hours per year of clean Vermont-made solar electricity.
The Renewable Energy Credits for all State projects are all being retained and retired in-state.
SolarSense, the specialty solar division of Alternative Energy Development Group, provided the financing for the projects, and owns and operates several of the State projects.
