American Capital Energy, Inc. (ACE) was awarded a landfill contract to construct $85 million, 18.2 MW of solar generating facilities by Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative.
The project will convert town owned property and landfills in six Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard communities into solar farms which will produce approximately 25% of the energy needs of the participating communities.
Mark Sylvia, commissioner of the Mass. Department of Energy Resources, said, "This is a significant game-changing model."
The project is projected to save participating towns $1.42 million in energy costs in the first year.
Across the USA, every city and town has vacant capped landfills and brownfields which could be converted to solar facilities to produce solar electricity to power the grid, reduce carbon omissions and cut corporate and municipal energy costs. American Capital Energy, a Mass. based company and leading solar expert has completed over 35 large scale utility and brownfield projects since its founding in 2005.
A recent 4th place recipient of the PaceSetters Award by The Boston Business Journal for being one of the fastest growing private companies in Mass., ACE has also recently been recognized by both SEPA (Solar Electric Power Association) and SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) as one of three award recipients of the coveted Photovoltaic Projects of Distinction Award, "for an existing and operational solar project that demonstrates collective community benefit and innovative use of public policy and financing."
Selected from more than 150 submissions ACE was the EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) firm that recently completed the Silver Lake Solar Facility for WMECO (Western Mass. Electric Co.).
Silver Lake is the redevelopment of 8 acres of brownfield floodplain land into a renewable energy facility.
The 1.8 MW Silver Lake facility is located in Pittsfield, Mass. accommodates a variety of complex permitting restrictions and is a shining example of what a public-private partnership can accomplish. WMECO, a Northeast Utilities company (NYSE-NU) serves approximately 210,000 customers in 59 communities throughout western Mass., and is committed to the environment, economic development and the health of communities it serves.
Silver Lake is the largest utility scale solar project completed to date in Mass. and consists of 6,500 ground mounted photovoltaic panels covering 8 acres.
As cities and towns across the country struggle with energy consumption and costs the conversion of these polluted open sites will produce not only much needed power but also help communities balance their budgets.