From the left: Gov. Jim Douglas, Bob Young (CVPS President)

Governor Douglas helped CVPS unveil their 50 kW photovoltaic array in Rutland, Vermont. ReKnew designed and constructed this array in 2009 with the help of IBEW, Stafford Technical Center students, and a local Rutland solar contractor. Governor Douglas called the project a “true renewable education complex.” The press release (with a link) is below.

CVPS unveils new solar project in Rutland Town

Embracing renewable energy and hoping to educate Vermonters about it, Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE: CV) today unveiled its new Rutland Town solar project and renewable energy education center.

CV President Bob Young was joined by Gov. Jim Douglas and representatives of the Stafford Technical Center and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – Local 300, who helped build the most publicly accessible solar project in the state.

“This will be much more than just a solar project,” Douglas said. “It is a true renewable education complex, with hydro generation across Route 7, and a wind measurement tower that may be replaced with a wind turbine or two in the future. Together with the educational displays, these generation facilities will educate thousands of Vermont students who will be welcomed in the next few years.”

Along with the solar display, CV installed six museum-style educational displays that will provide visitors with a self-guided look at the array and other forms of renewable energy. While formal tours will be available to schools and other organizations, the displays highlight CV’s power supply history and explain how five different renewable energy sources create electricity.

“We felt it was important to not just build the solar array, but to make it accessible to the public so people could learn about the project and renewable energy production,” CV President Bob Young said. “We are quite proud of the fact that we have arguably the cleanest power supply in the nation, but we also wanted to explain in simple terms the complexities of renewable energy generation.”

The displays are designed for all ages, and provide simple but factual explanations of generation via wind, water, biomass, sunlight and cow manure, or CVPS Cow Power™.

Stafford Director Lyle Jepson said the project afforded students a tremendous opportunity. “Hands-on learning is critical to our students, and this project provided not only that, but an opportunity to work with a major local employer and understand how it operates,” Jepson said. “They got to work with union members, with senior CV employees and with contractors, all of them as focused on the students’ education as on their own jobs.”

The educational aspects of the project prompted special note from the Vermont Public Service Board when it approved the plan last year.

“Unlike most utility projects reviewed by the board, the project is designed to be highly visible in order to fulfill one of its intended purposes — public education of photovoltaic projects,” the PSB said. “The integration of educational materials and interpretive signs into the project design, along with the proposed installation of new plantings, represents appropriate mitigation for any changes associated with the removal of existing trees… Parking and pedestrian access… plantings, and the equipment shed, all designed by local high school students at the Stafford Technical Center in Rutland, are intended to enhance both the appearance of the site and the educational value of the project for local students and the general public.”

Matt Lash, marketing and business development director for the IBEW, which represents about half of CV’s 530 employees, lauded the collaboration, which also included CV Solar and Wind, Sherwin Electric and Reknew Energy Systems Inc. “Our partnership with CV has grown way beyond the day-to-day operations of the core utility business,” Lash said. “CV never considered using non-union labor, which speaks volumes about how we have grown together to serve our collective customers and the state of Vermont.”

The 50-kilowatt solar project includes 264 solar panels, each 3 by 5 feet wide, mounted eight at a time to create 33 individual, stationary modules. Under perfect sun conditions, the project can produce enough energy to power about 50 homes; over the course of an average year, it is expected to provide enough energy to meet the entire needs of 10 to 11 homes. The approximately $400,000 project was funded by CVPS, a rebate on insurance related to the sale of Vermont Yankee, and a grant from the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund.

Source: CVPS. RUTLAND, VT — (Marketwire) — 06/22/10 –

Vermont Business Magazine
Dec. 14, 2009

Stafford Technical Center is as successful as it is today largely in part to the strong relationships it has cultivated with area businesses and the local community. Through the Cooperative Education Program, Students at the Stafford Technical Center receive hands-on, on-site job experience that will prepare them to be vital and contributing members of the community.

Trust, responsibility, fun, freedom and professional relationships are the five ingredients that make up the Stafford Experience. Students are given the opportunity to earn college credit while they are in high school, in addition to the chance to complete an industry certification or license that can be immediately relevant to employment opportunities following completion of Stafford program. Fun is also key in the Stafford Experience. Many students will point out that the freedom they have to pursue their own projects, find their own success and work within the community on site is what makes Stafford so fun and enjoyable.

A great example is the project that is currently underway on Route 7. The town of Rutland is working towards completing one of the largest solar project in the state. CVPS, ReKnew Energy Systems Inc. and CV Solar and Wind are overseeing the construction project with the assistance of students from Stafford Technical Center. This unique and community orientated project highlights the Stafford Experience while at the same time bringing the community the benefit of solar energy.

Educational emphasis has been put on every aspect of this project by CVPS and Stafford. Several parts of the project were planned by the Stafford students, from the landscape design to the signage and shed that will be on site. Stafford’s Landscaping and Forestry students removed trees and redesigned the surrounding area for the project. Stafford’s Electrical and Plumbing students are constructing and installing the solar panels. Architecture students designed the shed that will serve as the educational headquarters for the site after the completion of the project. The collaboration between the students and the community has been mutually beneficial for all involved. The students have received a unique learning opportunity, and the town of Rutland has been provided with a cutting edge solar site.

The site is aimed at being the top educational site in the state for renewable energy. The solar project will provide an example of what a solar energy collector can look like, how it can benefit a community, and how it can be constructed. The clear visibility from the road will help to educate and create awareness to passersby that solar energy is a clean and renewable source that can also be aesthetically pleasing. These features were designed by Students during their landscape and architectural planning. In order for the project to get underway a large section of trees had to be removed. The Stafford Forestry students tackled this challenge and also developed a plan to replace the trees that were lost elsewhere on site. The students learned by looking through the soil after the trees were removed that the area used to be farmland. Old tools and pieces of scrap metal were found in the soil and provided the Stafford students with an archaeological learning opportunity.

Stafford’s architecture students worked on the project from the classroom. They worked together to plan and design the shed that will be on site and will serve as the educational headquarters for the project. Given just the basics of what purpose the shed would need to serve, they let their own creativity and knowledge of architectural detail do the rest. Through planning and teamwork a plan for a shed that closely resembles a sugarhouse was born.

Everything from the dimensions of the building to the window placement was strategically planned by the students. The shed will blend into the landscape of the site and be the headquarters for measuring and maintaining the panels. The energy produced will be measured at the shed and the basics of solar energy and how it works will be presented in an educational manner from the building.

Once completed, the project will include about 256 solar panels organized onto 33 post-mounted arrays. Walkways will be constructed to allow school groups, community members, and passersby to embark on an educational tour of a fully functioning solar site. One that CVPS, ReKnew Energy, CV Solar and Wind, the Stafford students and the community as a whole can be very proud of.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090728/NEWS04/907280355

This project serves educational as well as practical roles in electricity generation.  It was designed to be highly visible by the public and will be used extensively as an educational site for STC.  This solar array will complement a nearby hydroelectric station, Glen Station.