Nexamp has successfully completed construction on three community solar projects that included the scope of work typically performed by the electric utility. The concept, known as self-performance, lets developers perform certain grid modifications and infrastructure upgrades to reduce both the time and cost required to connect their projects to the grid.
Working with Central Maine Power (CMP) in Maine and National Grid in Massachusetts, Nexamp took responsibility for procuring the necessary equipment and performing the requisite construction to get three recent projects completed and operating faster. Nexamp and its contractors worked with engineers and project managers from CMP and National Grid to ensure that all technical specifications and requirements were met on these projects.
The first three projects that were part of the self-performance initiative are:
- Hartland Solar, a 1.2-MWDC solar farm in Hartland, Maine
- Barre Road Solar, a 1.3-MWDC solar farm in New Braintree, Massachusetts
- Summit Farm Solar, a 2.6-MWDC solar farm in New Braintree, Massachusetts
“Self-performance allows us to take much greater control over the interconnection procurement and construction, enabling us to bring projects online faster and closer to budget,” said Daniel Passarello, lead consulting engineer of grid integration at Nexamp. “By leveraging our construction contractor relationships, we can move much of the interconnection work along in parallel to the build-out of the solar farm rather than having to treat them as separate processes. This ultimately creates opportunities to reduce the number of mobilizations.”
During self-performance, Nexamp is able to directly negotiate pricing and delivery times with its suppliers. Passarello said that the company orders much of the same utility-required hardware for its own facility in bulk, and if an expedited shipment is needed, the Nexamp can go to the supplier directly.
“The results are greater visibility, control, and certainty to drive shorter interconnection timelines, create opportunities to save costs and reduce burden on utilities. This kind of forward thinking makes the continued deployment of clean energy more efficient, leading to lower costs for consumers and increased energy supply to meet our nation’s growing demand,” he said.
Utilities have historically maintained responsibility for construction required to connect a distributed solar project to the grid. With the rapid increase in solar generating capacity, sharing some of that work with private developers can be a benefit.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimates that nearly 8 GW of community solar has been installed in the United States through the end of 2024, and that number is expected to almost double in the next five years.
“We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand for energy,” said Sara Birmingham, SEIA’s VP of state affairs. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers. SEIA congratulates Nexamp for taking this leap and looks forward to collaborating across the industry on solutions to deploy solar faster, strengthen grid reliability and improve energy affordability for all Americans.”
News item from Nexamp