National Grid Flips Switch on Three New Mass. Solar Sites; Company Now Owns the Largest "Solar System" in N.E.

WALTHAM, MA (12/21/2010)(readMedia)-- It's truly fitting that today, on the Winter Solstice, National Grid marks the completion of three new Massachusetts solar facilities in Revere, Haverhill and Everett, making the company the largest owner of solar generation in New England.

When combined with the already-completed Whitinsville/Sutton, Mass. installation the projects will generate a total of 3.4 megawatts of solar power, thereby eliminating a collective 3.8 million lbs. of CO2 per year, the equivalent of removing more than 1,100 passenger cars from the road; eliminating the CO2 emissions from burning more than 33 railcars of coal; and reducing the CO2 emissions from burning 14,615 barrels of oil.

"This is a terrific example of the state, local communities and industry working together for the benefit of the citizens of Massachusetts and the environment," said Edward White, vice president of Energy Products for National Grid. "We are proud to help the Commonwealth advance its green energy and green economy goals from vision to reality."

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony held at National Grid's Revere solar site which is capable of generating .75 mega-watts of solar power through 2,640 solar panels, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles said, "Clean energy is an integral component of the Patrick-Murray administration's strategic investment in job creation, innovation and the state's long-term economic growth. On behalf of the Administration, I applaud National Grid for taking a leadership role in developing five sites, including four former brownfield sites, for the generation of carbon-free solar energy. In making this investment, Grid is an important partner with the Commonwealth in our pursuit of a clean energy future."

Also attending the Revere ribbon-cutting event, State Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Phil Giudice said, "I congratulate National Grid on this impressive solar installation. Visible at this site is the entire spectrum of our past and future energy infrastructure including fuel tanks, a wind turbine, and this solar facility. Massachusetts jobs were created in the development and manufacturing of the solar inverters, and Massachusetts jobs were created in the design and installation of this facility. Our clean energy future looks exactly like this -- Massachusetts firms and workers generating clean, renewable energy for Massachusetts consumers for years to come."

Construction at the Revere solar facility began during the spring of 2010 with placement of the first panel in November 2010. The facility is capable of generating enough solar energy to power approximately 150 homes annually. The estimated cost of the project is approximately $5.4 million.

In October 2009, National Grid received approval from the Mass. Department of Public Utilities to design, build, own and operate five solar generation facilities that would yield approximately five megawatts of power. National Grid's Whitinsville solar site, completed in June 2010, was the first utility-owned solar generation facility in service under the Commonwealth's 2008 Green Communities Act, which allows utilities to own up to 50 megawatts of solar generation. The fifth solar site planned and approved for Dorchester near National Grid's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) rainbow tank is expected to come on line in early summer of 2011.

The company's local contractors for various aspects of all five projects include: Dagle Electric, Melrose; Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), Watertown; Nexamp, North Andover; Lynnwell Associates Inc., Boston; GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., Norwodd; T Ford, Georgetown; Lidco Electrical Contractors, Holden; Innovative Engineering Solutions, Walpole; Solar Design Associates, Harvard; American Capital Energy, North Chelmsford; Zapotec Energy, Cambridge; Bond Brothers, Everett; Maxymillian Technologies, Pittsfield; and Fischbach & Moore Electrical Group, LLC, Boston. National Grid worked with Solectria Renewables of Lawrence, Mass. to provide inverters for three of the sites.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Photos of the solar facilities and quotes on what other elected officials are saying about National Grid's solar projects are available upon request.