Harvard, MA — Lighthouse Electrical Contracting, Inc., the Rockland, Massachusetts based NECA Boston Chapter member, is on schedule with the design/build 220kW ground-mount photovoltaic (PV) system at Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA. The project is Massachusetts largest solar installation at an agricultural site or farm (more than 3 times larger than the second largest, a 65kW system at Four Star Farms in Northfield, MA).
Lighthouse Project Manager Newell Thomas and President Herb Aikens have supervised a field crew ranging from 8 to 10 IBEW electricians during the 3-month project. The system is comprised of 1,050 Evergreen 210W solar panels, a DPW Solar Corp. ground-mount mounting system at 30 degrees pitch, and solar inverters and data acquisition by Solectria Renewables. Evergreen Solar and Solectria Renewables are both Massachusetts-based companies. DPW Solar Corp. is based in Albuquerque, NM.
The solar project is being funded in large part by grants from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC)/Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (CEC). It is among the first solar projects in the State to incorporate virtual netmetering and an MTC/CEC grant.
Lighthouse will complete the project by mid-late July. The PV system is expected to generate approximately 70-80% of the annual energy usage of the orchard, largely for the operation of refrigeration units used to chill and preserve harvested apples.
A special “ribbon-cutting” celebrating the Carlson Orchard’s solar system’s interconnection to the power grid is scheduled for Friday, August 13 at 2pm. The event will kick off the orchard’s annual Peach Festival, which will be held August 14 and 15.
Carlson Orchards is New England’s largest producer of apple cider, producing more than 500,000 gallons annually, which is sold through major chainstore supermarkets, including Whole Foods, Roche Bros., and Donelans. The 120-acre working farm is run by the second generation of Carlsons, Franklyn Carlson, Bruce Carlson and Robert Carlson.
Carlson Orchard’s Solar System Benefits:
Forecasted Electrical Reduction:
Prior annual electrical consumption = 400,000 kWh or $80,000
Expected savings from EE measures = -100,000 kWh
Expected offset from Solar Array = -265,000 kWh
Future consumption assuming all processing times remain constant = 35,000 kWh
CO2 Emissions Prevented:
267,000 kWh of electricity generated from solar is equivalent to 192 metric tons of CO2 that would be obtained through regular electrical generation. This in turn is equivalent to:
Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 36.7 passenger vehicles
CO2 emissions from 21,569 gallons of gasoline consumed
CO2 emissions from 446 barrels of oil consumed