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Forbes Street Solar Project I
CME Energy, in conjunction with Hecate Energy, developed the 3.7 MW Forbes Street Solar Project on a closed landfill in East Providence, Rhode Island. Completed in December 2013, phase I of the Forbes Street solar plant currently delivers clean electricity to thousands of people in Rhode Island, through energy sales to National Grid under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The developers, CME and Hecate also signed 20-year PPA with National Grid to expand the project with phase II for an additional 3 MW at the East Providence landfill.
In 2010, the East Providence City Council of Rhode Island selected CME Energy and Hecate Energy’s plan to close a 70-acre landfill site to develop a solar energy project, creating new jobs and a clean source of electricity. CME Energy partnered with Hecate Energy to develop the Forbes Street Solar Project, a 3.7 MW-DC solar plant consisting of 12,848 panels, located in East Providence, Rhode Island. The project received a $200,000 grant from the state Economic Development Corporation for its development.
In 2013, the project was acquired by an affiliate of D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments in partnership with Bright Plain Renewable Energy. Reaching completion in June 2014, the project began operating and providing electricity to the state of Rhode Island. The project produces approximately 5,000 MWhs of clean energy per year for customers of Narragansett Electric Company, a subsidiary of National Grid.
The Forbes Street Solar project received the 2015 Rhode Island Clean Energy Future Award and was named the best renewable project in the state.
In December 2015, the developers signed a 20 year PPA with National Grid to expand the project an additional 4.07 MW. Click here to watch a video featuring the Forbes Street Solar project.