One of the parking lots at the Fall River campus of Bristol Community College is undergoing construction to build a solar carport, making it the largest of its kind in Massachusetts.
Officials of the college say that, when completed, it will generate about 40% of the energy needs of the campus.
According to the vice president of business and finance, Steve Kenyon, the ultimate goal of the project is to reduce greenhouse gases and use renewable energy sources as often as possible for the campus. President Jack Sbrega added that the project fits in with one of the major priorities of the college, which is sustainability.
The project is being built at no cost to the college. Last year, it signed an agreement to purchase power for 20 years with PowerOptions, a nonprofit consortium that serves public agencies and other nonprofits.
PowerOptions has an agreement with the developer SunEdison. Landon Smith, construction manager at SunEdison, commented that the reason the company is building the project is to go green by lowering the carbon footprint and utility costs.
There are solar panels already on the roofs of some of the buildings on the campus and these generate about 10% of its energy.
The college may be using flyer printing to inform the students and the community about the project and its ramifications for the campus.
