Unitil Corporation has begun site work on a 5MW solar energy project in Kingston, New Hampshire, that will be the largest of its kind operating in the state.
The 11,232-panel 4.9MW project will be built on 36 acres of vacant land located off Towle Road and will be the first array owned and operated by a regulated distribution utility company in New Hampshire.
The developer has selected ReVision Energy as its engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the array.
“This is an exciting project that underscores Unitil’s commitment to using renewable energy sources to provide valuable economic benefits for our customers through the generation of stable, affordable, low-carbon energy,” said Unitil external affairs director Alec O’Meara.
“The new array reflects Unitil’s long-term goals of addressing the region’s climate objectives in a way that’s cost-effective, sustainable, and provides direct benefits to all customers.
“We look forward to partnering on this project with ReVision Energy, which brings with it 20 years of award-winning experience in the solar industry here in New England.”
The array will be constructed in the vicinity of an electrical substation and the power it produces will be delivered directly into Unitil’s electric distribution system, reducing the amount of energy it receives from the grid.
The array, which is expected to be completed and brought online in 2025, is estimated to generate approximately 9.7m kilowatt hours of power in its first year of service and is expected to average 8.6 million kilowatt hours annually over its projected 40-year lifespan.
Energy production will be optimized through the use of single-axis tracking solar panels that rotate on a single point throughout the course of a day, adjusting position to track the sun from east to west.
The Kingston project was approved by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission in May 2023 and has since received all required local, state and federal permits to clear the way for work to begin.
Under state law, utilities can invest in renewable generation of up to 6% of their total distribution peak load, which provides Unitil the opportunity to develop as much as 18MW of renewable generation.
“With this array, Unitil will provide substantial savings for ratepayers, generate employment opportunities within the community, and significantly curb carbon emissions,” said vice president of business development at ReVision Energy Dan Weeks.
“As their solar installation partner, we are honored to support them in their charge by powering a more sustainable and resilient future through the transformative technology of solar energy.”
Plans for the solar energy project in Kingston follow Unitil’s first solar array built in 2017 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The 1.3MW facility, known as Solarway, involved the installation of more than 3,700 solar panels on the site.