In November of 2010, real estate developer Ernie Pomerleau brought Vermont’s first megawatt scale PV plant on line. The 1 MW plant, designed and constructed by Alteris Renewables, was built under the state’s new Standard Offer program that offers 25-year fixed price contracts to solar developers.

The plant produces about 1,250,000 kWhs of electricity each year, enough to power roughly 170 average Vermont homes. Located off Route 7, adjacent to the Vergennes Union High School (VUHS), the plant is both a showcase and educational resource for sustainable energy development. VUHS teachers are excited about the real-world study of renewable energy, environmental issues, math, physics and other subjects, now available to their students right next door. The Solar Farm features an open-to-the-public educational kiosk, and has a public website where visitors can view real-time and historic solar energy production from the plant.

The Ferrisburgh Solar Farm was designed to have minimal impact on the site’s agricultural soils and to have minimal maintenance requirements over its 25-year life. The module support structures used driven steel piles that required no site grading or concrete footings.  This ensured that the land and soils would remain undisturbed and allow the site to be returned to its natural state at the end of the plant’s operating life.

The Pomerleau team was also adamant about using local consultants and contractors to design and build the project.  Over ten Vermont businesses were involved in the $4M project, helping support job growth and the Vermont economy.