Massachusetts Company Installs 435K Solar Power System

Alpha Grainger Manufacturing, a Franklin, MA company, has completed a 435K solar power system at its manufacturing facilities. The company fabricates specialized screws, fasteners nails, bolts, and locks for cars, planes, medical devices, and electronics.

The installation consists of 1,575 Suntech 275-watt solar panels over a 90,000 square foot area, one of the biggest roof-mounted commercial solar systems in Massachusetts.   The array is supposed to generate approximately 481,525 kilowatt hours of electricity every year, which is estimated to save the company about $72,000 in energy costs annually.

The CEO and founder, Jake Grainger, spent $2.3 million on the commercial solar installation, revealing it is the largest investment they have made since moving into their facilities 22 years ago.  The company received a $561,000 rebate from the Commonwealth Solar Stimulus program run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.  The company also will receive a 30% federal tax credit on their investment and benefit from Massachusetts SREC market that is currently paying out at about $500 per Megawatt hour of solar power generated.

On September 16^th, Alpha Grainger corporate executives were joined by Massachusetts government officials to celebrate the completion of the project.  “Thanks to projects like this, we will have installed or are under contract for over 60 megawatts by the end of this year – a nearly 20-fold increase over the 3.5 megawatts installed statewide when the governor took office, and an accomplishment that has helped to nearly triple employment in the solar sector since 2007,” said Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary of State, Ian Bowles.

Commercial solar is a sound investment in Massachusetts with the tax credits and exemptions, rebates, and SRECS that are available in addition to electricity savings that can be realized.  For more information about whether a commercial solar installation in Massachusetts makes sense for your company, Brightstar Solar would be happy to provide you with an in-depth analysis of the design, incentive opportunities, and financial analysis of a system at your site.