October 18, 2016
We’re happy to share the news of our successful ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Community Rowing’s solar array on the roof of their renowned Harry Parker Boathouse on the Charles River in Brighton, MA!
True to its mantra of “Rowing for All”, Community Rowing Inc. (CRI) is constantly striving to change lives and communities by providing access to the sport of rowing to individuals regardless of ability, background, or experience. In its efforts to enrich the community and provide better programs for their members, a commitment to conservation and renewable energy seemed to be a fundamental piece to the puzzle.
As Community Rowing Inc. hosted Solect and PowerOptions leadership in honor of the successful completion of the array, Bruce Smith, Executive director welcomed the crowd saying,
“It is our belief that utilizing solar energy is a mindful business practice, so it seemed only second nature to add it to our portfolio of conservation practices and green initiatives. As a non-profit, we are constantly balancing the associated costs of services and our ability to invest in capital expenditures. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) provided through Solect Energy and PowerOptions allows CRI to not only invest in our facility, but the annual savings provides us with the opportunity to offer more services to our members.”
Bruce was followed by Dave Snowden of CRI and Steve Clairmont of Solect, who were instrumental in brokering and coordinating the array’s construction. Steve spoke to the privilege of working with Community Rowing saying,
“We took a great deal of pride in completing this project for CRI. It is an honor to help them maximize their positive impact on the community through the use of cleaner, less expensive energy, especially when the organization is dedicated to investing those savings into its philanthropic initiatives and programs.”
Liam Sullivan from PowerOptions spoke to the collaborative effort it took to make the array a reality as he addressed the crowd, and acknowledge how it is representative of PowerOption’s mission to make less-expensive renewable energy a reality for non-profits that would otherwise find the costs prohibitive.
“The project was a true partnership between Community Rowing, Solect and PowerOptions, and it’s a perfect example of PowerOptions’ mission—saving other nonprofits money so they can better fulfill their own missions.”
The array was built under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) through PowerOptions Small Systems Solar Program, which chose Solect as its exclusive developer through a competitive RFP solicitation. Under the program, Solect owns and operates the solar array, and sells the power generated back to the organization at a reduced, fixed rate for a period of 20 years. Community Rowing Inc. is projected to save over $9,000 annually on its electricity bill, and up to $188,000 throughout the course of the 20-year PPA.
