Kearsarge Energy partnership helps West Springfield and Southwick

SOUTHWICK – The Kearsarge Energy solar farm in Southwick will be set to open in early to mid-March, according to the company’s managing partner, Andrew Bernstein. 

 

This is the solar farm with which the town of West Springfield would be partnering, according to Mayor Edward Sullivan’s announcement at Jan. 20’s town council meeting. The deal between West Springfield and Kearsarge Energy will reduce its electricity bill while providing clean energy.

“It’s a public and private partnership, so we’re partnering with Southwick and West Springfield,” Bernstein said. “We have bank financing from Boston Private Bank, so it’s a really exciting public and private partnership.”

While West Springfield reap the benefits in terms of money saved on electric, somewhere between $110,000 and $190,000 annually, Southwick too walks away with gains. 

The company pays personal property taxes and worked on an agreement with the town to predict the revenues that it would be receiving.

Everyone is a winner in this, Bernstein said.

“It’s a really nice partnership for everybody. It’s developing clean energy …   and it’s a nice way to demonstrate that Massachusetts is one of the leaders in the country in promoting and developing clean energy,” Bernstein said.

Kearsarge Energy looked at different sites throughout the state about a year and a half ago, Bernstein said. Once they decided upon the Congamond Road site and set up the logistical side of things – interconnection agreements and filing for the proper permits – construction began in the fall of 2014. 

Now that the opening of the solar farm is within reach, Kearsarge Energy is excited, a sentiment that Sullivan echoed in his announcement of the agreement. 

“We’re most excited to be able to start generating revenue for the towns,” Bernstein said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a little more sun.”