17-megawatt solar project planned for Hopkinton solid waste site
Granite Apollo says project will generate clean power for 4,500 homes
The Towns of Hopkinton and Webster have signed a letter of intent with Granite Apollo to develop a large-scale solar project at the Hopkinton/Webster Municipal Solid Waste site.
The project, named “Hopkinton Solar,” is proposed to be located on approximately 133 acres of Town owned land off of East Penacook Road in Hopkinton that includes a capped landfill. A 17-megawatt project will generate enough clean electricity to power approximately 4,500 homes and would be one of the largest solar developments on a waste site in the country, according to a press release by Granite Apollo, a Manchester-based solar company co-founded in 2017 by Dyn founder, Jeremy Hitchcock, and Chris Stewart.
Granite Apollo will lease the land from the towns to develop the solar project. The next step is to negotiate a long-term lease agreement for the site. It is expected that a full lease option will be on the March 2019 Town Meeting Warrant in both towns for final approval by the voters. Granite Apollo will negotiate a power purchase agreement for sale of the power within the ISO-NE marketplace.
“The Hopkinton Solar Project will generate clean, renewable power at competitive prices to help Granite Staters save money on their power bills,” said Chris Stewart, principal at Granite Apollo. “Well sited utility scale solar is a key part of New England’s energy future and we are excited to work with the town of Hopkinton and Webster on this project.”
“This is a great opportunity for the Towns of Hopkinton and Webster,” said Jim O’Brien, Hopkinton Select Board Chair. “Our community strongly supports clean energy. We look forward to working closely with Granite Apollo to help make this project successful and a model for large scale, responsible clean energy development in New Hampshire.”
The company aims to work closely with communities, landowners and residents to bring clean energy and new investment to ratepayers across the region. Granite Apollo recently announced plans to develop a 10-megawatt solar project at the Auburn Road Superfund Site in Londonderry.
