Clean Energy Collective and RGS Energy to Deploy First Community-Owned Solar Facilities in Massachusetts
03 April 2014 - 1:31PM
The community solar developer, Clean Energy Collective (CEC), has
selected RGS Energy (Nasdaq:RGSE) as the general contractor for the
construction of the first community-owned solar facilities located
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
RGS Energy, a nationwide leader of turnkey solar energy
solutions for residential, commercial, and utility customers, will
provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services
for two large solar arrays of nearly 1 megawatt (MW) each owned and
operated by CEC.
One will be located in Hadley, Mass. and serve customers of
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo). The other will be
deployed in Rehoboth, Mass. to serve National Grid customers.
Construction has already begun on the two sites, with
interconnection planned for the end of June.
"As the first community-owned solar model in Massachusetts,
these projects represent a new enabler for increased solar
adoption, where owners of individual solar panels can reduce their
home or business electric utility bill with solar power," said Kam
Mofid, CEO of RGS Energy, "while at the same time reducing their
carbon footprint in a meaningful way."
CEC President Paul Spencer stressed the value RGS Energy brings
to the solar projects: "RGS Energy is the ideal partner for us in
implementing these facilities. With their outstanding systems
engineering and deployment capabilities and their national
footprint, they can ensure our individual project specifications
are delivered on time and to the highest standards."
Both facilities will employ 300-watt panels, inverters by
Advanced Energy, racking from RBI Solar, and monitoring systems
provided by Ambient Weather.
Refundable panel reservations are now open to both WMECo and
NGrid customers. For more information visit:
www.MassCommunitySolar.com, or contact CEC at
info@masscommunitysolar.com or (800) 646-0323.
What is Community-Owned Solar? Community solar
arrays—sometimes referred to as a solar farm or solar garden—are
centralized photovoltaic (PV) power facilities that deliver
reliable, commercial-scale renewable energy to the electric utility
grid.
The fast growing distributed generation model pioneered by CEC
allows any customer in a participating utility territory, including
renters, those with shaded roofs or people with modest incomes, the
opportunity to own panels in a shared solar PV facility, scalable
to a single panel, without having to install a rooftop system on
their home or business. The solar PV arrays are designed and
located for maximum power production and lifespan, delivering the
lowest possible price for renewable energy. In return for the power
produced, customers receive credits on monthly electric bills,
reducing their expenses and exposure to rising electricity costs
while also reducing their carbon footprint.
The utility sector is quickly embracing the community solar
model because of its ability to deliver reliable, long-term,
in-grid power at reasonable rates, while also contributing to a
utility's renewable portfolio standard requirements outside the
limitations of net-metering.
About Clean Energy Collective Clean Energy
Collective (CEC) is the nation's leading developer of community
solar solutions. CEC pioneered the model of delivering clean
power-generation through large-scale facilities that are
collectively owned by participating utility customers. Since
establishing the first community-owned solar garden in the country
in 2010 near El Jebel, Colorado, CEC has built or has under
development 40 community solar projects with 18 utility partners
across 7 states, representing 26 MW of community solar capacity.
www.easycleanenergy.com
About RGS Energy RGS Energy (Nasdaq:RGSE) is
one of the nation's pioneering solar energy companies serving
commercial, residential, and utility customers. Beginning with one
of the very first photovoltaic panels sold to the public in the
U.S. in 1978, the company has installed more than 19,000 solar
power systems representing well over 170 megawatts of 100% clean
renewable energy. RGS Energy makes it very convenient for customers
to save on their energy bill by providing a comprehensive solar
solution, from design, financing, permitting and installation to
ongoing monitoring, maintenance and support.
As one of the nation's largest and most experienced solar power
players, the company has 17 offices across the West and the
Northeast. For more information, visit RGSEnergy.com, on Facebook
at https://www.facebook.com/RGSEnergy and on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/rgsenergy. RGS Energy is a trade name and RGS
Energy makes filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
under its official name "Real Goods Solar, Inc."
CONTACT: Media Contact for CEC:
Tim Braun
(970) 618-0080
tbraun@b2inc.net
Media and Investor Relations Contact for RGS Energy:
Ron Both, Senior Managing Director
Liolios Group, Inc.
(949) 574-3860
RGSE@liolios.com