Solar  -  December 9, 2020

Largest Rhode Island solar farm to power local towns, school district

A rooftop solar installation that will provide power to the Town of Bristol, the Town of Barrington and Barrington School District is now under construction and is expected to be the largest such installation in the state of Rhode Island.

The 6.76 MW project is being installed by AUI Partners on a 560,000 square foot warehouse, while NuGen Capital Management is overseeing the project. The solar installation is expected to generate over 7.8 million kWh annually and the two towns and local school district have already committed to purchasing power generated by the system through PPAs.

“Bristol is looking forward to the completion of the Briggs project which will help the Town continue its commitment to energy saving and renewable energy initiatives,” Steven Contente, Bristol Town Administrator, said in a statement. 

The project is expected to be fully operational in early 2021 and should offset 5,534 metric tons of CO2 per year. It should produce approximately 195.7 million kWh of electricity over the lifetime of the contract period with the towns and school district.

The State of Rhode Island is currently working toward a goal of being 100% powered by renewable energy by 2030.