Posted by Ed on June 27, 2007, 12:10 pm A Brockton company has contacted Town Manager Rocco Longo about building a solar "brightfield" on 7 acres of the 60-acre Shaffer Landfill. The landfill is part of the 106-acre Iron Horse Park Superfund site in North Billerica. The landfill operated as a dump for commercial and solid waste from 1946 to 1986. It was closed in 1986 as part of a 1984 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, and capped in 2003. "We do have an interest, but it is very preliminary," said Carl Landerholm, of Landerholm Electric in Brockton. "There will not officially be a project until it is presented to the town boards. Right now, it is just a consideration, but the town manager is very enthusiastic about the program." He added that his company has not yet scheduled a date to meet with selectmen. The solar-farm proposal comes at an interesting time, with many residents clamoring for alternative energy initiatives such as solar and wind power in opposition to the construction of a power plant proposed by DG Clean Power. The 348-megawatt natural-gas-fired plant, slated for 13.8 acres off Billerica Avenue in North Billerica, would run during peak demand periods, for about 1,500 hours per year. It has the ability to run on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel during periods when natural gas is unavailable due to high residential demand. The developer is currently wading through a lengthy state and federal environmental permitting process. Because of advanced air-pollution control technology and greater efficiency, proponents say the emissions of the Billerica Energy Center will be hundreds of times lower than existing power plants in Salem and Framingham. Landerholm has experience in the solar-energy field, having designed and overseen the construction of the largest solar array in New England, a 425-kilowatt photovoltaic solar-energy system on 3.7 acres of a 27-acre former Brownfield site in Brockton. That site, completed last October, is expected to eventually expand to a site across the street, growing to a 1-megawatt capacity. The current site is constructed of 1,395 solar modules produced by Schott Solar of Billerica. It generates 535 megawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power 71 homes. "There are no moving parts, no odor, no noise," Landerholm said. According to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust, the clean energy produced by the Brockton solar panels results in a reduction of 589,570 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to removing 51 cars from the roads. It also results in the removal of 1,086 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 289 pounds of nitrogen oxide from the atmosphere each year. The Brockton "brightfield," constructed on a contaminated site that once housed the Brockton Gas Light Co.'s gas works, cost $3 million. The city contributed a $1.6 million bond, $789,000 came from a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and more than $1 million was granted from the Renewable Energy Trust. Between the sale of electricity to Constellation New Energy and Renewable Energy Credits generated at the site, Brockton anticipates taking in $130,000 annually to pay debt service on the bond and cover operation and maintenance costs. The project is expected to be paid off in 15 to 20 years. "It is not a financial investment but an environmental investment, and the payback is huge," Brockton Mayor James Harrington said. "We were able to take a piece of property that couldn't be used for anything else and put it to work." Harrington is in Los Angeles this week receiving a "livability" award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Brockton has steamed ahead with several solar projects, including New England's first fully solar-powered condo complex (26 units), and the installation of solar panels on Brockton High School and a school that is under construction. The Brockton "brightfield" also includes a "learning plaza," where visitors can read about how solar energy works, view real-time electricity generation data on an LED display and touch a real solar module. Landerholm said he has taught several classes about solar energy at the site to young schoolchildren, as well as students from Stonehill College interested in renewable-energy technology. "We have had people from China and England visit the site," Harrington added. "It is about the message it sends. I have six grandchildren and worry every day about what we will be leaving them." Landerholm and Harrington said they expect to see many more solar projects popping up across the state given Gov. Deval Patrick's strong support of clean-energy initiatives and a push to lower the cost of solar panels. Landerholm said panels can cost $1,300 to $1,500 each depending on their output. Earlier this month, Patrick announced a $9 million plan, covered partially by federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, to install solar panels at 12 state-owned sites this year, including several state colleges and prisons. This needs everyones suppport
24.34.144.49
The plan: Help Billerica harness the sun
By Jennifer Amy Myers , jmyers@lowellsun.com
Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated:06/27/2007 11:49:10 AM EDT
BILLERICA -- The future looks bright in Billerica.
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