John Rosenthal, developer of the massive Fenway Center complex near Fenway Park, plans to install a 650-kilowatt solar array on the complex's roof. It will generate enough electricity to power both a commuter rail station and 100 apartments that are part of the project.
Fenway Center has been in the works for over a decade, the Globe reported. Its size and composition have changed over the years, and construction won't begin until it receives final approval from the state Department of Transportation, so it may change again. But at present, the complex consists of 330 apartments, a 1,300-car garage, office space, stores and the brand-new train station.
Rosenthal, a former environmental activist jailed in the 1970s and 1980s for protesting nuclear power projects, plans to install 1,200 solar panels on Fenway Center's roof.
The panel installation will cost $7.5 million, but state and federal tax incentives will shorten his payback period to just four years. The panels will be paid by the revenues generated from electricity sales, Rosenthal anticipates.
He called the solar power plan "a dream come true."
