Groundbreaking ceremony held for 5 MW solar project in Concord
Work is underway on a massive new solar array in Concord that is projected to generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes.The beginnings of a new 20-plus-acre solar array are taking shape near the Merrimack River in Concord after Lodestar Energy held a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday on the 5-megawatt project.”We’re taking and turning this unproductive land into something that’s amazing,” said Jamie Smith of Lodestar Energy.The land is owned by Brochu Nursery but was deemed to be too sandy for farming. The family had been raising pine trees for log cabins on the plot until a blight destroyed the crop.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<”It’s a 40-year lease,” said Len Brochu of Brochu Nursery. “It’s for my children. I won’t be around that long.”Advocates say there are a number of similar large projects going in around the state.”We’ve got one going in on a gravel pit in Warner,” said Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH. “There’s a big 20-megawatt array going in Farmington right now. There’s another on the capped landfill in Concord. So, we are going to see, in my opinion, more solar built in 2026 than in any previous year. And then unfortunately, what I’m hearing from the developers is it’s going to fall off a cliff after that.”Evans-Brown said changes in federal policy and what he says are arbitrary state deadlines are making it more difficult to finance such projects over the long term. >> Subscribe to WMUR’s YouTube channel <<
Work is underway on a massive new solar array in Concord that is projected to generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes.
The beginnings of a new 20-plus-acre solar array are taking shape near the Merrimack River in Concord after Lodestar Energy held a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday on the 5-megawatt project.
“We’re taking and turning this unproductive land into something that’s amazing,” said Jamie Smith of Lodestar Energy.
The land is owned by Brochu Nursery but was deemed to be too sandy for farming. The family had been raising pine trees for log cabins on the plot until a blight destroyed the crop.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
“It’s a 40-year lease,” said Len Brochu of Brochu Nursery. “It’s for my children. I won’t be around that long.”
Advocates say there are a number of similar large projects going in around the state.
“We’ve got one going in on a gravel pit in Warner,” said Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH. “There’s a big 20-megawatt array going in Farmington right now. There’s another on the capped landfill in Concord. So, we are going to see, in my opinion, more solar built in 2026 than in any previous year. And then unfortunately, what I’m hearing from the developers is it’s going to fall off a cliff after that.”
Evans-Brown said changes in federal policy and what he says are arbitrary state deadlines are making it more difficult to finance such projects over the long term.