Jim Goldenberg, a principal at Cathartes, said the project is being carried out in two phases, with half the solar panels due to be installed by the end of this year, allowing the facility to begin operation, and the other half by the middle of next year.
The project, which the developers say will create the largest privately owned solar farm in Massachusetts, was spurred by provisions in the state’s 2008 Green Communities Act that helped make solar energy initiatives more affordable, Goldenberg said.
“We think this is really the first commercial project of its size to be financed, and we are really excited to be the first out of the box,” he said. “We are looking forward to doing more projects. We think it’s really an exciting sector.”
The Green Communities Act provisions, Goldenberg said, include one that allows developers to sell at retail prices the credits they receive from supplying power to the regional grid. The law also requires utilities to generate a minimum percentage of their power from solar energy, opening the way for solar operators to sell certificates that can be used to meet the requirement.
Robert S. Jefferies, chairman of the Westford Board of Selectmen, said the town welcomes the solar field.
“We like green projects,” Jefferies said, noting that Westford this spring installed a solar array on the roof of Stony Brook School and is considering placing an array on the roof of Westford Academy, the town’s high school.
Angus Jennings, the town’s director of land use management, said the Groton Road site is a former quarry zoned for industrial uses.
“It’s been cleared for many years and it’s something of a wasteland … So we felt this was a very beneficial reuse of underutilized industrial land,’’ he said.
“The town strongly supports renewable energy, and the operations of this facility will have a minimal impact on local infrastructure and services while generating new tax revenues,” Jennings added. “So there is a lot of support for it.”
