Youngstown, OH, November 18, 2020– Solar FlexRack™, a division of Northern States Metals and an innovative leader in photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions, announced today that the Beverly Landfill Community Solar project, installed with its ballasted mounting technology, has won Solar Builder Magazine’s 2020 Editor’s Choice Award. This landmark project was initiated under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target Program, or SMART, and is owned by independent power producer, Navisun LLC. Tax and lease revenues plus municipal energy savings as a result of this project will total $5 million over 20 years.
“We’re thrilled that the editors of Solar Builder Magazine recognized the complexity of the Beverly project, and the ingenuity and experience required to overcome its challenges,” said Steve Daniel, EVP, Solar FlexRack. “Both BlueWave Solar and Signal Energy DG demonstrated meticulous care in the development and construction of this landfill solar project.”
The 4.9 MW (DC) solar project is notable due to the significant challenges faced during the development and construction process, not only because it is a landfill project, but also because of the schedule restrictions and supply chain disruptions as a result of COVID-19. Additionally, the engineering and construction teams faced obstacles such as exposed rock and ledge surrounding the landfill, extreme soil resistivity, and sloping terrain. BlueWave Solar, developer of the project, selected Signal Energy DG for the EPC work and Solar FlexRack for their fixed tilt racking technology. Both companies have exceptional track records in services.
“Solar FlexRack’s project support team was instrumental in assisting to develop solutions for the significant topographical challenges this project site posed,” said Mark Anderson, Project Manager, Signal Energy DG. “The B3P-X Series ballasted racking was efficient to install and proved to be forgiving against the site’s sloping and undulating terrain.”
After purchasing this asset from BlueWave Solar, Navisun LLC recognized the extent to which Solar FlexRack’s comprehensive support services contributed to the project’s long-term success. “Solar FlexRack’s ability to quickly adapt by leveraging its deep industry knowledge, and its willingness to go the extra mile to support partners align well with our partnership focused model and company values,” said John Malloy, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Navisun LLC. “We continue to be impressed by Solar FlexRack’s cradle-to-grave support services and look forward to working together.”
Significantly, this landfill project converted unused municipal land into a robust solar power generation plant and will produce enough energy to power approximately 500 homes. As a result, the community of Beverly will be able to offset 3,720 metric tons of carbon emissions or the equivalent of removing nearly 800 cars off the road.
Solar Builder Magazine is a reliable source for the most up to date solar news throughout North America. Every year, the magazine receives nominations for outstanding solar projects. In 2020, the Solar Builder editorial staff reviewed a record number of nominations and selected the Beverly Landfill Community Solar project to receive the Solar Builder Editor’s Choice Award.
For more details about the project and the award, visit: Solar Builder Magazine
About Solar FlexRack
Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis solar tracking systems in the commercial and utility-scale solar mounting industries. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services to address the actual site conditions of an installation and provide a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed over 2.5 GW of solar racking installations in 40 states across America and five countries globally. For more information, go to www.solarflexrack.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Solar FlexRack media inquiries, please contact: Staci Lombardo slombardo@solarflexrack.com 330-799-1855