ReVision Energy has completed the installation of the largest rooftop solar array in company history. The project at the Dover High School and Career Technical Center in Dover, New Hampshire, includes 2,581 solar panels, increasing the state’s solar capacity by 1.5% and saving Dover taxpayers more than $4 million long-term at no upfront cost. The project was unanimously approved by the Dover City Council last year.
The solar array has a predicted lifespan of 40 years and will generate over 1,000 MWh of electricity each year, offsetting roughly 40% of the school’s electric load.
The 912-kilowatt array was financed through a PPA which lets the city purchase electricity at below-market rates and includes a purchase option that becomes available in year 10 of the agreement, allowing Dover to acquire the array at a significant discount.
Investor partner Kenyon Energy owns the school array and will sell the electricity to the city at a negotiated rate. PPAs enable nonprofits, municipalities, and schools that are precluded from accessing available solar incentives to transition to clean energy at no upfront cost. The PPA gives the city the ability to leverage the economic benefits of solar power while affording the investor partner the opportunity to make community investments that align with its core values of creating positive change in the world.
Ongoing maintenance and operations of the project will be managed by Bay4 Energy, one of the country’s leading solar service companies providing a comprehensive suite of energy and asset performance management services.
The Renewable Energy Credits (REC) generated by the array will be sold by Kenyon Energy into environmental compliance markets for the term of the PPA.
ReVision Energy’s agreement with Dover includes an educational initiative aimed at teaching students how solar energy works and exposing them to the various functions involved in the engineering, electrical and marketing aspects of the project.
“This project has the potential to ignite the imaginations of current and future students,” said Zachary Koehler, Dover Energy Commission member. “This has the potential to stimulate a passion for engineering and development of this technology in their future endeavors, be it in furthering education or career opportunities. When this happens, our students can be the ones who bring our community, our state and our country closer to the clean energy future that we so desperately need.”
The City of Dover also partnered with ReVision Energy on the installation of rooftop solar arrays at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and adjacent Dover Indoor Pool. ReVision Energy donated 103 solar panels for the installation, part of a 318-panel solar array at the museum and pool which share a common electricity meter. The rooftop projects installed on the museum and indoor pool are owned by ReVision Solar Impact Partners.
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Charles says
Unused roof space seems like the perfect place for solar panels! How do they keep the snow off the panels? Or, do they only collect energy when there’s no snow?
Kelly Pickerel says
The panels are tilted at such an angle that snow will shed off the panels and melt as the panels warm up. If there is an abundance of heavy snow, maintenance crews can assist with removing the snow.