A 3MW solar installation built on a capped landfill in the town of Scituate, Mass., received one of four 2014 “Photovoltaic Project of Distinction” awards from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). “Scituate Solar I” was chosen by judges from among a pool of 21 semifinalist projects.

The 17-acre project was developed by Brightfields Development, LLC and Syncarpha Solar, LLC, and was engineered and built by Gehrlicher Solar America Corp. Scituate Solar I is owned and operated by Main Street Power Company, Inc., in partnership with MS Solar Solutions Corp. (MSSS), an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. Scituate Solar I was financed with a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the town of Scituate, and a debt facility provided by KeyBank. The project qualified for the 1603 Treasury Grant and the SREC I program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER).

Scituate has become the first town in America to generate 100% of its city-owned facilities with renewable energy. Additional award-winning attributes of the project include design and engineering considerations that maintain the integrity of the sensitive landfill cap, as well as the adoption of Brightfields Development’s solar energy curriculum by the Scituate Public Schools. An online monitoring system that measures the project’s real-time and cumulative energy output is accessible to teachers, students and the general public.

"The town of Scituate is very pleased with the support we received from our energy partners in helping us achieve our goal of being 100% self-sufficient in powering all of our town with renewable energy,” said Albert Bangert, Director of Special Projects for the town. “We started down this path to improve cost efficiency for our taxpayers and reduce our carbon footprint as a municipality. By combining wind and solar energy sources to power our schools, emergency services, harbor, street lights, and sewer and water treatment facilities, we capitalize on New England’s variable weather conditions.”

Rob Masinter, chief operating officer of Main Street Power added, “We value the collaboration and partnership with MSSS, Syncarpha, Brightfields and Gehrlicher that was needed to co-develop, finance and construct Scituate Solar I.”