WEYBRIDGE — A Minneapolis developer is readying a proposal to build one of the state’s largest solar arrays in Weybridge.
Ecos Energy LLC sent a letter to Weybridge residents on Nov. 29 saying it is exploring development of two ground-mounted solar power arrays on an open field between Quaker Village Road and Field Days Road. Most of the 73-acre property is in Weybridge (58 acres), and 15 acres is in New Haven.
A preliminary concept described in an attachment with the letter says the solar farm would produce just short of 5 megawatts of electricity; the arrays would be built as two separate projects — one would produce 2.99MW of power and the other would produce 2MW.
Vermont’s largest solar project is a 4.7MW project in Williston run by Green Mountain Power. It features around 20,000 solar panels on 55 acres owned by computer chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries. GMP is building a 4.99-megawatt solar farm off Panton Road not far from Panton Town Hall.
According to Ecos’s website, a 2MW array produces enough electricity to power 350 homes; which means this Weybridge project could produce enough electricity to meet the demands of 873 homes.
Ecos’s preliminary concept shows schematics with two large arrays sited on the Brisson farm off Buttercup Lane with Quaker Village Road to the west and Field Days Road to the east. The company has not filed formal plans with the Public Service Board or the Weybridge Planning Commission.
Brad Wilson, the Ecos project developer who sent the letter to the Weybridge residents, said in the letter that the proposal is “a very preliminary site plan concept and subject to change based on a number of factors, including input from the town, neighbors, and various state agencies.”
Wilson invited Weybridge residents to an informational meeting to be held this Wednesday, at 7 p.m., at Weybridge Elementary School.
“I will offer a presentation with details about the proposed projects, and I hope to answer your questions and listen to potential concerns,” Wilson wrote.
Ecos has built a 2MW solar array in Sudbury and is building a 2MW solar generating facility near Bennington. It also has solar projects in California, Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia and three arrays in what its website describes simply as “Midwest.”