Amp has broken ground on a portfolio of wholly owned community solar projects in New York and, along with its Massachusetts portfolio that is under construction, is on track to install nearly 100 MW of community solar projects across its Northeastern territory by the end of the year.
The New York portfolio, consisting of 11 projects and 75 MW DC of solar paired with 27 MWh of battery energy storage upstate, will provide electricity bill savings to participating subscribers and allow Amp to optimally dispatch energy from the batteries based on solar generation and grid pricing signals.
The Massachusetts portfolio, consisting of three projects and 20 MW DC of solar paired with 24 MWh of battery energy storage, will provide bill credits to subscribers with the batteries participating in the ISO-NE wholesale services markets.
“This set of projects marks Amp’s largest assemblage of concurrent community solar projects in the U.S. to date, and represents more than $230 million in project investment,” states Jared Donald, executive vice president and head of Amp’s U.S. operations. “As we approach the close-out of these projects, the team is preparing to start construction on a similarly sized portfolio of New York and Massachusetts assets that will be completed next year, while we continue to look for new project opportunities in these states.”
The projects under this portfolio will help the state of New York to achieve its climate and sustainability goals, including the recently increased goal of ensuring at least 10 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, while also improving the resilience and quality of the upstate grid.
As an extension of Amp’s investment into the communities in which the projects are located, Amp has partnered with Eden Renewables on five of these sites to holistically focus on setting standards for biodiversity and ecological enhancement, continuing agricultural use and community educational benefits through the use of pollinator-friendly native plants and apiaries as well as bird and bat habitats.
Amp is also partnering with Lowes and Hannaford Supermarkets in both New York and Massachusetts, as well as the University of Rochester and thousands of upstate New York residents, on these projects to provide them with monthly credits on their electricity bills.
