Unitil, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, has begun construction on a 1.3 MW solar array on Unitil-owned land at Sawyer Passway in the city of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The facility is expected to be online by the end of this year.
The solar array will be located on a remediated ‘brownfields’ site that has a long history dating back to the 1850’s of various forms of gas and electric energy production and delivery systems. Most recently the site was the location of a fossil fuel burning power plant, but the plant was shuttered as part of the Electric Industry Restructuring Act of the late-1990s. In addition to the new solar array, an electric distribution substation and gas regulator station owned by Unitil continue to be operated at the site.
Construction of the new facility is being managed by GroSolar, a Vermont based EDF renewable energy company.
“We are extremely excited to see construction begin on this new facility,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “Thanks in large part to the opportunities offered by state legislation, this once vacant lot will again be actively contributing to the city’s growth. It’s a wonderful fit for this location.”
The array will be called “Solarway” as a nod to the name of the street and previous generation facility at the location, Sawyer Passway.
