A 5-MW solar array providing power to a nearby university was inaugurated Thursday in Middlebury, Vermont. With the help of Encore Renewable Energy and Greenbacker Renewable Energy, 40% of Middlebury College’s electricity is powered by solar.
The solar array is one of the largest in the state, with 15,348 solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers.
Credit: Encore Renewable Energy
“It has been a truly cooperative effort to make the solar array fully energized and ready to provide renewable clean energy to the college,” said Lauri L. Patton, Middlebury College president, noting that Middlebury’s students helped bring the project to fruition through a collaboration in support of climate justice.
Middlebury College will retain renewable energy credits generated by the array, moving it closer to meeting the climate goals in its goal to use 100% renewable electricity by 2028. Middlebury College, Encore and utility Green Mountain Power (GMP) arranged for the college to purchase renewable energy credits.
The remaining 60% of Middlebury College’s electricity comes from its biomass plant, other local solar energy sites and GMP’s grid, which is 100% carbon-free and 68 percent renewable.
Chad Farrell, founder and co-CEO of Encore, said the project is the first of its kind in Vermont, “bringing a new model of customer-driven, low-cost clean energy without negative economic impact to other ratepayers.”
Located about two miles from the Middlebury campus, the solar array was developed and constructed by Encore and is now owned and operated by Greenbacker — an independent power producer and energy transition-focused investment manager.
“This solar power plant is one of the first in Vermont that actually tracks the sun from east to west allowing us to generate between 15 and 20% more energy, which provides a cheaper cost of electricity for Middlebury,” said Matt Murphy, COO of Greenbacker.
Also part of the project, South Street Storage — a battery system constructed next to the solar array — will store excess energy that might otherwise be lost in the middle of the day when electricity demand is lower and the sun is brightest.
News item from Encore Renewable Energy