Fairhaven Housing Authority

The Fairhaven Housing Authority is a public housing provider through the Commonwealth of MA.  It owns and manages 284 units of affordable housing in Fairhaven for low income elderly, handicapped, disabled individuals and families.

Challenge

The Fairhaven Housing Authority had to replace an outdated natural gas system with electric heat at its largest complex, and was concerned that the new electric system would negatively impact its utility budget. FHA has been a PowerOptions member for about 10 years, tapping into the buying consortium to help them contract for the lowest electric and natural gas pricing.

Solution

The FHA decided to pursue solar, and selected PowerOptions and Solect’s solar program. Under the program, Solect installs, owns, and operates the solar array on the FHA’s roof. Solect then sells the power generated at a fixed rate for a period of 20 years under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) negotiated by PowerOptions.

Results

40% reduction of electricity costs

The FHA installation posed an added challenge.  The complex’s cement roof and the area’s 140-mph wind zone required an alternative solution from a standard roof-mounted PVC system. Solect elected to install the Mouli Engineering SolarPod Crown racking, because of its no-roof-holes design, high wind capability and simplicity.  Not having to penetrate the cement roof saved substantially on the amount of labor, time and ultimately cost required for the project. FHA anticipates the array will provide up to 40 percent of its facility’s annual electricity, and projects a first-year savings of $15,700 and an estimated $467,000 in savings over the life of the 20-year agreement.