WMECo to develop 4.2 MW solar facility in Massachusetts
- Western Massachusetts Electric Company WMECo, part of Northeast Utilities System, said recently it would build a 4.2 MW solar power plant in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The utility has selected a capped landfill site in Springfield, where to mount 17,000 solar panels.
The project, which would be WMECo's second large-scale solar power facility in the New England region, would yield USD 22 million to the region during construction and several hundred thousand dollars in annual property tax revenue to Springfield, the company said.
WMECo expects to get local permit for the Springfield project and start construction in the second quarter of 2011.
The Green Communities Act GCA allows each Massachusetts electric utility to own up to 50 MW of solar capacity, subject to approval by the Department of Public Utilities DPU. WMECo said it was the first to receive DPU clearance and is authorized to install 6 MW of solar.
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SAINT PAUL - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D, is expected to soon sign a bill requiring utilities in the state to provide electricity from 100% carbon-free sources by 2040. The bill also calls for utilities to generate at least 55% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2035.
Electricity generated from landfill gas and anaerobic digestion are named as approved renewable energy technologies, but electricity generated from incinerators operating in “environmental justice areas” will not be counted toward the goal. Wind, solar, and certain hydropower and hydrogen energy sources are also considered renewable in the bill.
The bill defines EJ areas…
