Brockton, Mass., located about 25 miles south of Boston, is a proud city with a rich industrial history. Unfortunately, some aspects of this industrial past pose significant challenges for the city today, such as a 27-acre brownfield located near Brockton’s downtown. Due to contaminants capped below the surface, the former manufactured gas plant site posed many redevelopment challenges. It could not be redeveloped in a way that would penetrate the protective membrane capping contaminants lying just below its surface. In addition, since the brownfield is located in an industrial zone that directly abuts residential neighbors, city officials’ redevelopment decisions had to take into careful consideration the environmental and aesthetic impact any redevelopment would have on the surrounding community.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brightfields concept presented city officials with the perfect solution—redevelop the brownfield into a brightfield. A brightfield is a solar generating station built on a brownfield site. While brightfields have been developed in other parts of the country, this project’s scope was the most ambitious project yet: when finished, the Brockton Brightfield would be both New England’s largest photovoltaic array (reported as of January 2007) and the nation’s largest brightfield. The city issued a competitive request for proposals that led to selection of Global Solar Energy as the lead contractor with a $3.04 million budget.

System Features

The Brockton brownfield, located at Grove and East Union Street, was a former blight in the community. Photo by Dufresne-Henry, Inc.

Global Solar Energy’s team built Brockton’s 425-kilowatt Brightfield using 1,395 SCHOTT Solar ASE300 modules and a SatCon power conversion system. Global Solar Energy also installed a Fat Spaniel Technologies Data Acquisition System to provide energy monitoring and visualization in real time. The system was interconnected to the New England power grid in September 2006.

The SCHOTT Solar modules face south, and are tilted to 42 degrees to maximize energy production. The panels are ground-mounted on frames anchored into a layer of fill added to protect the integrity of the subsurface cap. Manufactured in nearby Billerica, Mass., the SCHOTT Solar ASE300’s high wattage make them particularly well-suited for a utility scale installation, since the modules generate significant electricity over the life of a solar power plant. Further, when installing a utility scale array, using a high-wattage module reduces labor costs and line losses since there are fewer connections required than for smaller modules. Global Solar Energy estimates that the brightfield will generate 535 Megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually, which is enough energy to power approximately 71 homes.

Global Solar Energy met Brockton’s request for an educational component at the brightfield by building an attractive brick-paved educational plaza and advanced security system at the site. This plaza contains secure fencing so visitors can safely visit the Brightfield without facing high-voltage electrical hazards. Further, the security system protects the brightfield from vandalism through the use of motion detection sensors, cameras and an alarm system.

System Benefits

The Brighfield’s educational plaza is also an aesthetic asset to the community. Photo by Lori Ribeiro.

The Brockton Brightfield is quickly proving to be an environmental, economic, educational and aesthetic asset for Brockton. Generating electricity at Brockton’s Brightfield, rather than fossil fuels, results in an annual reduction of 589,570 pounds of carbon dioxide and other emissions. It has transformed an idle, unproductive brownfield into a productive asset—the brightfield’s revenues will cover project debt, operations and maintenance costs. Global Solar Energy expended 80 percent of the project funds in Massachusetts, and used three Brockton-based subcontractors to help them complete the project.

The system’s educational and aesthetic benefits are closely linked. The learning plaza will enable visitors to read about how photovoltaic solar energy works, view real-time production data on an LED display, and safely touch a SCHOTT Solar module. The brightfield also incorporates attractive fencing and park-like landscaping to improve neighborhood aesthetics.

Thanks to the dedication of the city’s officials, the support of the community and numerous partners, financial and technical support from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and DOE, and the hard work of Global Solar and other firms, a formerly blighted brownfield symbolizing the city’s industrial past has been transformed into a dazzling display of solar panels, demonstrating the city’s embrace of a clean energy future.