After years of development in Rhode Island, Standard Solar announced a spate of acquisitions and new projects in the Ocean State recently.
On Jan. 10, Standard Solar officially assumed control over Woodville Solar, a 4.99 MW(dc) project based in Richmond, RI after partnering with Freepoint Solar for its development. Late last year, Freepoint Solar announced it had finished pre-construction and closed on a transaction for the sale of the project. Last fall, the company announced the purchase of two ground-mount community solar projects – West Main 1 and West Main 2 – from Trina Solar in Portsmouth.
In a statement, Standard Solar announced the company would be taking over Woodville Solar as the project’s long-term owner and operator. Rhode Island is trying to hit the goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2030, as was mandated by a 2020 executive order signed by then-Gov. Gina Raimondo.
The community solar project, part of Rhode Island’s Renewable Energy Growth Program, will allow customers in the state to benefit from clean energy savings by offsetting their electricity bills with solar energy, according to Harry Benson, Standard Solar's Director of Business Development
Benson said the array is expected to produce 7,700-megawatt hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to offsetting the carbon emissions of 3,655,423 pounds of coal or the annual electricity use by 648 homes.
"We have been working with Freepoint on this project for over four years. It now has all its permits and we own it. This project has now been handed over to Standard Solar’s construction team to finalize the building permit and to construct the project. We intend to have the project constructed by summer of 2023," he told RI Inno.
Benson said Standard Solar has been building projects like this community solar ground mount for over a decade and now own and operate hundreds of projects like the one in Richmond.
"This project and others like it are part of a new wave of community solar projects that are popping up all over the country," he said. "Standard Solar is the # 2 community solar owner and operator in the country. We look forward to growing our footprint in Rhode Island."
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