GREENFIELD — Town Council unanimously voted to authorize a 20-year contract for a 1.4-Megawatt solar farm on the Millbrook Well field, which is expected to save the town $250,000 annually.
During a recent Ways and Means Committee meeting, Mayor William Martin said the project has been in the planning stages for 3½ years and the town put out a request for proposals eight months ago and heard from four bidders. SunEdison, a global renewable energy company based in Missouri, was selected, Martin said, because its proposal presented the best price as well as the best process to satisfy the needs of residents.
Half of the electricity generated by the solar farm would go to the to town while the other half would be available for any Greenfield resident to purchase. The town would retain ownership of the property and lease it to the corporation, which would provide payment to the town in lieu of taxes and sell half the energy produced to the town at a fixed price. The other half would be sold to residents.
The Millbrook Well field is 23.5 acres and Martin said about eight of those acres would be taken up by the solar panels. He said he was unsure how much money SunEdison would make off the project and Energy and Sustainability Manager Carole Collins was unable to be reached for comment.
He said with contract approval, the project would get underway in eight to 10 months. He added the area is isolated and surrounded by trees, although there may be some visibility from Interstate 91 south.
He noted, however, that SunEdison may be in financial trouble. The Wall Street Journal recently reported the corporation is working with advisers on a possible bankruptcy filing.
“We were clever enough to put an exit clause in our contract that if they make any maneuvers to file for bankruptcy or not pay any debts, then our contract would be null and void,” Martin said.