Northbridge 2.6MW Solar Project

Mass. Electric Construction Co. (MEC) crews installed a 2.6MW ground mounted solar photovoltaic system in Northbridge, MA, on a site previously used for farmland. Working as a subcontractor to Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., MEC installed a total of 9,064 solar modules, which included:

• 7,722 YINGLI 290W panels
• 1,342 SUNTECH 280W panels

Forty-six rows of racking for the panels were constructed, using an RBI ground mount system consisting of the following parts and equipment:

• 1,184 posts
• 2,368 top chords
• 4,548 Z-purlins
• 620 cross braces
• 38 Shoals Combiner Boxes
• 4 inverters
• 2- skids
• 19,350 linear feet of underground conduit
• 21,080 linear feet of feeder cable

MEC also installed an Electro Industries Data Acquisition System (DAS). The DAS will monitor electrical output, and serves as a first warning against any potential failure in the solar system.

At the peak of the project, MEC worked with a crew of 30 union electricians from IBEW Locals 96 & 103. Many of the electricians had transferred from other MEC solar projects, and their knowledge and experience are a main factor in the successful and timely completion of the project, which could have been hampered by the heavy rain days, followed by weeks of hazy, hot, and humid temperatures. Neither of these environmental concerns held up the final completion date in July 2013.