Massachusetts to Build a 500-Kilowatt Solar Power Plant

March 10, 2004

The largest solar power plant in the northeastern United States is slated to be built in Brockton, Massachusetts, with construction starting this fall. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) announced on March 1st that it will provide $1.04 million to help fund the 500-kilowatt solar power installation, with additional funding provided by the City of Brockton. The MTC has also pledged to spend nearly $650,000 to buy renewable energy certificates from the project once it is producing power. The project will be built on a "brownfield"—a blighted former industrial site—and will help to revitalize downtown Brockton. See the MTC press release.

The MTC has been busy in recent months, providing $2 million for four demonstration projects in October 2003 and $32 million for five commercial renewable energy projects in November 2003. The demonstration projects include a new hydroelectric turbine, a biomass gasifier, a biomass pyrolysis project, and an ocean wave energy device. The five commercial projects will generate about 100 megawatts of electricity from wind power, hydroelectric power, and power systems fueled with biomass and landfill gas. See the MTC press releases from October 1st and November 13th.