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When it goes up, it will be the largest solar installation on private property in Massachusetts: 1,200 solar panels with a capacity of up to 650 kilowatts.
And it will be dead in the heart of the city, incorporated into the plans for the mixed-use Fenway Center being developed by Meredith Management’s John Rosenthal. Rosenthal, a long-time advocate of responsible clean energy production, couldn’t be happier that substantial tax credits–and the support of Governor Deval Patrick–have made it possible to expand upon original plans for the Center’s solar installation.
Straddling parts of the Mass Pike and comprising living, business, and transit facilities, the Fenway Center in Boston is a 4.5 acre, $500 million project whose $7.5 million solar component will be showcased to the public. The solar panels will be used to offset the energy consumed by the Center’s planned commuter rail station (yep, there will be a Yawkey stop, Sox fans!); according to the Boston Globe, this will be the first energy-neutral transit station in the state, which is no mean feat. It looks like the panels will be mounted on the parking garage at the new Yawkey Station, which is part of the project’s first development phase along with 200 of the planned 330 housing units.
The Globe’s comprehensive article on the project points out that Rosenthal’s solar ambitions don’t end here:
Rosenthal has created his own power company, Here Comes the Sun LLC, and in addition to supplying electricity to the train station, he expects to sell power to tenants of Fenway Center. He also hopes to add another 100 kilowatts of solar generation at a later date.
All in all, a great week for solar news from Massachusetts. The Bay State’s closed-down rebate program had us worried throughout the fall, but with new incentives on the horizon for early 2010 (see Connie’s update here), Mass. may be ending the year with a home run for the solar industry.
Image: Fenway Center Rendering c/o Meredith Management
