DSD Renewables (DSD) sad that it has has acquired a six-site community solar and energy storage project portfolio in southeastern Massachusetts from Borrego.
In total, the projects will have a combined capacity of 45MW of solar PV and 88MWh of battery energy storage.
All six projects are set to operate under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program, a long-term, sustainable solar incentive program to promote cost-effective solar development across the state. In addition, the community solar portion of the portfolio qualifies for Massachusetts’ Low Income Community Shared Solar program, providing electricity bill credits to low-income subscribers.
All six sites are set to begin construction in 2023, and all will feature energy storage systems paired with the solar installation. Two sites will be located in Acushnet: one with 7MW of solar and roughly 7MWh of storage, and the second with 10MW of solar and roughly 20MWh of storage. Two will be located in Freetown; one with 1.5MW of solar and just under 3.5MWh of storage, and the second with roughly 13MW of solar and nearly 27MWh of storage. The other two sites will be a roughly 2MW solar and 5 MWh storage installation in Plymouth and an 11MW solar and 20MWh storage installation in Wareham.
The specific battery chemistry chosen for the energy storage units has not yet been shared, but the batteries will likely be lithium-ion.
As for who will be purchasing the electricity generated by this project portfolio, the offtake will be a mix of community solar and commercial and industrial businesses, with Markley Group as one of the anchor tenants, as announced recently. Markley Group entered a community solar power purchase agreement with Borrego in January 2020, under which the group agreed to purchase half of the power from 80MW of community solar projects planned across Eversource’s utility territory, with these projects representing just over half of the total commitment.
