Planned $500 million Fenway Center project to have 1,200 solar panels

John Rosenthal, president of Meredith Management, and the developer of the planned $500 million Fenway Center development, intends to have 1,200 solar panels on the rooftops of its 5 buildings. These solar panels will generate 650 kW of energy. The panels will supply all the power needs of a new commuter rail station Rosenthal plans to construct, making it one of the first energy-neutral transit facilities in Mass. Rosenthal had planned a lesser solar project at the SmartGrowth, transit oriented development Fenway Center, but decided to increase it after the state and federal government raised the value of tax credits that developers can use to finance such projects. It will cost $7.5 million to build the solar panel project. The mixed-use Fenway Center includes: 330 apartments, 370,000 s/f of office space, 90,000 s/f of retail space, and a 1,290 space parking garage. The project will be located on a 4.5 acre site between Brookline Ave. and Beacon St., on the Fenway Park side of the Mass Pike, the Lansdowne entertainment district and the Longwood medical area. Fenway Center still needs several permits before breaking ground in 2010.