SunEdison Inc. says it will begin construction of the company's first community solar project in Massachusetts, a 2.7 MW DC solar farm in the Town of Foxborough.
Foxborough has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with SunEdison to subscribe to half of the output of the solar farm, which will generate energy to power more than 320 homes. The town expects to use the clean electricity for its municipal operations, including schools.
Homeowners in the National Grid's southeastern Massachusetts area can sign up for SunEdison's community solar project and receive up to a 10% discount on their electricity utility rate. SunEdison expects to bring more community solar programs online in Massachusetts in 2016.
Operation and maintenance of the project will be performed by SunEdison Services, which provides asset management, monitoring and reporting services.
‘Massachusetts has some of the most expensive electricity rates in the country, but with community solar, we're able to reduce participants' electricity costs without an upfront cash commitment and without the need to install a solar system on their property," says Steve Raeder, general manager of SunEdison's East Coast commercial and industrial solar business.