New EnglandÔÇÖs largest solar energy facility


Con Edison Development, a leading developer of renewable energy infrastructure in the US Northeast, has delivered the largest operating solar installation in New England.

The ten-acre solar facility is sited on the New Bedford Business Park, which straddles the towns of Dartmouth and New Bedford in Massachusetts.

With more than 8,000 crystalline silicon panels, the installation delivers enough energy to provide power to 2,000 households. The ground-mounted panels are virtually invisible from outside the park.

Con Edison Development is the developer, owner and operator of the 2-megawatt (MW) project, which began delivering clean and renewable power to Massachusetts utilities on March 10.

"As New England's premier solar facility, this project represents a giant step forward toward creation of an emissions-free environment," said Mark Noyes, vice president of Con Edison Development. "Con Edison Development is proud to be working with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the New Bedford Business Park to reduce greenhouse gases while we promote America's energy independence.”

While we applaud Con Edison Development for its achievement, a 2MW solar energy project serving 2000 homes can hardly be described as “giant step forward” toward an emissions free environment, or energy independence for the US.

It may not have happened at all without the state’s Green Communities Act and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, allowing utility companies to contract with renewable energy developers toward a statewide target of 400 MW of solar generation.

On the other hand, you have to say—every little helps.