al Grid has inaugurated a 1 MW rooftop photovoltaic facility at its New England Distribution Center warehouse in Whitinsville, Mass. According to the company, this project is the largest solar site in the commonwealth. National Grid's Whitinsville solar site also is the first utility-owned solar generation facility in service under the commonwealth's 2008 Green Communities Act, which allows utilities to own up to 50 MW of solar generation. The company's solar system, which was built on time and under budget, is expected to cost less than $6.5 million. The company anticipates that the Whitinsville project will cost the average residential Massachusetts customer approximately a penny per month over the 20-year life of the project. The system is capable of generating 983,430 kW of electricity and will produce approximately 1,148,560 kWh per year, National Grid says. The project's solar panels were manufactured by Evergreen Solar of Marlborough, Mass. Nexamp, based in North Andover, Mass., served as general contractor. The system's inverters were manufactured by SMA America of Rockland, Calif. Lynnwell Associates Inc., based in Boston, performed the project's electrical installations as Nexamp's subcontractor. Lidco Electrical Contractors, based in Holden, Mass., provided the electrical modifications to the building to facilitate installation. Zapotec Energy, based in Cambridge, Mass., provided design and installation oversight for the system. SOURCE:[link=http://www.nationalgridus.com/]National Grid[/l
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