The former site of the Brockton (Mass.) Gas Light Company gas works is now home to a 425 kW photovoltaic (PV) installation. Dubbed “Brockton Brightfield,” due to its location on a brownfield site converted into a power installation operating on “bright” energy from the sun, the plant was dedicated in late October.
Global Solar Energy Inc. designed, installed and will maintain the PV system on the 3.7-acre site. Because of the installation’s relatively large size, the company realizes project economies of scale. Whereas typical PV installations cost an average of $10/watt, Brockton Brightfield’s scale reduced the cost to about $7/watt.
 With an output of 425 kW, Brockton Brightfield is the largest PV solar station in New England. Photo Courtesy of SCHOTT Solar |
In addition to being the largest solar plant in New England, Brockton Brightfield is the largest brownfield site in the United States to have been converted for use as a solar energy generating station. It uses 1,395 SCHOTT Solar ASE 300 modules manufactured in nearby Billerica, Mass. The solar station uses a Fat Spaniel Technologies’ data acquisition system to monitor plant output and efficiency and a system made by Satcon Technology to convert the DC power produced by the solar modules into AC.
Constellation NewEnergy has signed a long-term agreement with the city of Brockton to buy power and renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by Brockton Brightfield. REC buyers can offset their energy use by purchasing green attributes created by renewable energy sources. The REC market is growing nationwide, with states increasingly requiring utilities and competitive suppliers to use renewable sources to generate a greater percentage of the electricity they sell. Currently, Brockton residents and businesses who want to have all or part of their electricity generated from renewable resources can participate in National Grid’s GreenUp renewable energy program. In addition, Constellation NewEnergy also offers renewable energy to businesses.
More than 6,000 cubic yards of concrete went into the platform on which the PV panels were installed. Anchored by 18-inch rebar, the panels are designed to withstand wind loads in excess of 80 mph. Bay State Gas Company, the property owner that is leasing the land to the city of Brockton, cleaned up the site and landscaped and fenced the property following a design developed with neighbors and the city. The plant includes an educational plaza with displays detailing how the solar energy power plant works and a real-time LED readout showing how much electricity is being generated. In addition, the Fat Spaniel data acquisition system enables students to view from the Internet how much electric power is being produced at any given time.
- Steve Blankinship