Marblehead, Peabody Utilities Part Of MA Municipal Solar Project

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead Municipal Electric Light and Peabody Municipal Light Plant are two of the municipal utilities participating in what is being described as the largest muncipally-owned solar project in the state.

The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company held a ribbon-cutting and dedication this week for the site on the MMWEC's Ludlow property. The MMWEC/Master Sergeant Alexander Cotton Memorial Solar Light project is a 6.9-megawatt solar farm constructed on a 35-acre section of the campus.

Along with Marblehead and Peabody, the other municipal utilities participating in the project are Boylston, Ipswich, Mansfield and Wakefield.

"Consistent with the Commonwealth's decarbonization roadmap, the solar project allows the participating municipal light departments to increase the non-carbon generation mix in their power portfolios, while helping them to maintain stable rates for their customers," MMWEC CEO Ronald C. DeCurzio said in a statement to Patch..

The project is named in honor of the late Master Sergeant Alexander Cotton of the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base.

The MMWEC said the project will generate more than 13,800 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, enough to power over 1,500 homes. MMWEC energy from the solar farm will displace nearly 13,220,400 pounds of CO2 emissions from Massachusetts power plants per year, based on current ISO New England average emissions.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)