TIVERTON — Within its plant back in the woods, Tiverton Power burns gas to churn out 290 MW of electricity.
But now up in its roof, the Tiverton Industrial Park facility has turned to the sun to …
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TIVERTON — Within its plant back in the woods, Tiverton Power burns gas to churn out 290 MW of electricity.
But now up in its roof, the Tiverton Industrial Park facility has turned to the sun to harvest still more energy.
Plant operator Emera Energy and town officials cut the ribbon Monday to a 249 kilowatt solar rooftop array. The 800 solar panels will provide enough power to run the plant with perhaps some left over to to sell to National Grid.
“This is a smart investment in our facility and aligns with our larger strategy to bring more renewable energy to our customers,” said Judy Steele, president and chief operating officer of Emera Energy. This is “our first investment in solar in Rhode Island and second in New England.”
State Representative John Edwards, State Senators James Seveney and Walter Felag, as well as Tiverton Town Council Members John Edwards, Joan Chabot, Christine Ryan and Joseph Perry Jr. joined Ms. Steele to officially cut the ribbon.
Earlier this year, Canadian-based Emera Energy partnered with Sound Solar, LLC, a New-England based company, for the design and construction of the fixed solar array.
During remarks Monday, Magnus Lejdstrom, managing director at Sound Solar, highlighted the environmental benefits of the new solar array, saying it would annually offset nearly 190 tons of CO2 emissions.”
Emera Energy purchased Tiverton Power in November, 2013, and since then, has made a number of enhancements at the facility. In 2015, Emera Energy announced an $80 million long-term services agreement with GE including an upgrade to the plant increasing its efficiency, capacity and long-term availability while reducing operating costs and environmental impacts. The upgrade was completed last year, increasing the plant’s output by approximately 20 MW, without expanding beyond its existing footprints.
“We are very proud to be able to bring solar energy to Tiverton” said Ms. Steele. “This is a positive step toward providing more renewable energy locally, and throughout the larger New England electrical grid.”