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 The credits are tied to a planned installation of
solar panels near the Lincoln College baseball and soccer fields, as
part of a renewable energy service agreement between Lincoln
College, Clean Energy Design Group, Inc., (CEDG) from Springfield,
and its financing partner, DynaSolar, a national energy partner out
of California.
“This project will not only produce significant energy savings for
Lincoln College, it offers educational opportunities for our
students to study and monitor solar energy technology right here on
campus,” Lincoln College President David Gerlach said.
“We are pleased to partner with Lincoln College on this important
project,” said James Holtzman, COO and Dan Griffin, CEO of CEDG.
“Whenever possible, we try to incorporate an educational component
into our projects and the opportunity to work with Lincoln College
was a great fit.”
The awarding of renewable energy credits in the IPA lottery on April
10 clears the way for work to begin on the project, which was
announced last fall. Pending the final negotiation and execution of
a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Lincoln College and the
CEDG development team, construction would be scheduled to begin
sometime this year with final completion and commissioning occurring
prior to the end of 2019. Lincoln College would then look at
immediate energy savings starting by the beginning of 2020.
CEDG focuses on energy projects that create value by
raising public awareness of the benefits and practical application
of alternative energy sources and is working with educational
facilities throughout the state, including Lincoln Community High
School. Encouraging other public and private sector entities
to consider the values of Renewable Energy (RE) brings not only
economic benefits and jobs but also helps green our environment for
future generations and make the world a better place, according to
the company.
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Under the terms of the agreement, CEDG and its partners offer to
design, finance, construct/commission, and operate and maintain the ground
mounted solar energy installation over time. With no upfront costs or other
responsibilities required from Lincoln College beyond a land lease arrangement,
the incentive to take advantage of this opportunity is strong. In return, an
energy cost savings PPA, will result in immediate savings for the College, with
energy savings that accumulate over the 20-year term of the agreement.
Students and faculty will be able to monitor energy production in real-time from
a computer display to be located on campus, in addition to having direct access
to data in science labs and technology classes.
With an installation capacity equaling 2- Megawatt/DC or 1.5 Megawatt/AC in
nameplate size, the system is considered by the (IPA) as a “behind the meter”
solar project in their process of renewable energy credits (RECs) awards.
This means the power generated onsite will be used directly by Lincoln College,
rather than being transported and sold over the electric power grid to other
users. This allows for a number of advantages including: saving transmission
costs and equipment upgrades, immediate use of electric energy produced onsite
in real time and requiring minimal maintenance and operation costs than wind
turbines, making it a good fit for the College.
[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College]
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