The Western Massachusetts Electric Company has declared that it will begin development on an eight-acre solar power plant - the combination of a 2-acre business park and 6-acres of utility-owned land - in Pittsfield that will have a solar capacity of 1.8 megawatts.
The project will also create a substation that will allow for the power station to connect with the local energy distribution system.
"Today's announcement provides tangible evidence that large-scale solar is becoming a reality in the Commonwealth," said Peter Clarke, WMECo's president and CEO. "…Solar energy facilities like these will provide the platform necessary to demonstrate that solar can play a viable role in meeting the renewable energy needs of the Commonwealth while contributing to the economic development of the region."
While there are currently approximately 10 megawatts of solar energy generation online throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, there is a goal in place to install 250 megawatts of solar power by 2017. The Pittsfield solar energy station will contribute to the 50 megawatts of solar energy generation that each state utility is allowed to develop during that time, as per rules stated in the Green Communities Act.
