Bay State solar power project completed

Duke Energy Renewables, Integrys Solar, Canadian Solar Inc. and Community Energy Solar have completed a 3-megawatt AC solar power project in Berkley, Mass.

The Berkley East Solar Power Project is co-owned by Canadian Solar and INDU Solar Holdings — a joint venture between subsidiaries of Duke Energy and Integrys Energy Services.

“On behalf of INDU, we are pleased to announce the completion of the Berkley East Solar Project,” said Integrys Energy Services vice president Joel Jansen. “We look forward to a strong relationship with Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP) and the town of Berkley for many years to come.”

TMLP is purchasing the power generated from the project under a 25-year agreement.

We’re pleased to announce the addition of this resource to the TMLP power supply portfolio,” said TMLP general manager Michael Horrigan. “Environmentally speaking, it’s the right thing to do; it will avoid approximately 1,500 tons of global warming carbon dioxide emissions annually. Our customers will benefit from the project by purchasing power at competitive rates and by the savings in transmission, line losses and generation costs with the reduction in TMLP load at or near peak times.”

TMLP provides service to more than 36,000 electric and Internet customers in Taunton, Raynham, Berkley, N. Dighton and sections of Lakeville, Mass.

The ground-mounted installation was developed by Community Energy Solar and constructed by groSolar using 15,624 Canadian Solar modules, enough energy to power about 600 homes annually.

Added Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar: “As part of the partnership, we were able to move this project from permitting through construction. This demonstrates how we can help streamline ease of ownership for customers and municipalities considering partnering with us on their own solar energy projects.”

INDU Solar Holdings is a partnership formed by Integrys Energy Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc., and Duke Energy Renewables, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp. The partnership was created to develop, construct, finance, own and operate solar photovoltaic projects for commercial, school, government and utility customers throughout the U.S.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Businesses, develops wind and solar energy generation projects for customers throughout the U.S. The company’s portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes 15 wind farms and 15 solar farms in operation in 10 states, totaling more than 1,700 megawatts in electric-generating capacity.

Canadian Solar Inc. is a vertically integrated provider of solar modules, specialized solar products and solar power plants. The company has operations throughout the world. Radnor, Pa.-based Community Energy has led renewable energy development in the eastern U.S. since its founding in 1999. 

groSolar, based in White River Junction, Vt., is a commercial- and utility-scale solar engineering, procurement, and construction firm serving the 1- to 30-megawatt market. The company has more than 2,000 installations nationwide.