MILFORD, MA – March 15, 2017 – Countryside Health Care of Milford, a non-profit, municipal, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility serving the greater Milford community, has partnered with Solect Energy, the state’s leading installer of commercial-scale solar energy systems based in Hopkinton, MA, to construct a 261 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar array on the rehabilitation facility. The new system will provide clean energy to Countryside Health Care while also decreasing the town of Milford’s carbon footprint, as Countryside is the first municipal entity in town to go solar.
Countryside Health Care and Solect entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) under which Solect owns and operates the solar array, and sells the power generated back to the organization at a reduced, fixed rate for a period of 20 years.
“Installing 817 solar panels on Countryside Health Care is a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and emissions in the municipality,” said Bill Buckley, Chairman of the Milford Board of Selectmen. “The agreement and innovation will have a game-changing impact as its the first municipal building in our community to go solar. It’s my hope that more municipal departments adopt solar as a way to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels while at the same time saving the taxpayers significant dollars.”
“It’s a pleasure working with a nonprofit like Countryside Health Care which does so much for the residents of Milford and its surrounding communities,” said Steve Bianchi, Partner and Senior Vice President at Solect Energy. “The array serves as a good example of deploying a clean energy solution at the municipal level and will hopefully inspire others to go green as well.”