ORH and Solar Energy

From the Attleboro Sun, here is part:


An alternative energy firm is eyeing sites in the city to lease for a planned $750 million solar power project.Junaid Yasin of Ansar Energy LLC said his firm wants to find a number of locations across the state for solar panels with a goal of generating and selling 100 megawatts of electricity.

Worcester Airport is already on his list of sites. Other locations in Attleboro, Greenfield, Lowell, Gardner and communities in the Berkshires will be studied for their feasibility.Yasin said his firm is interested in capped landfills and other sites owned by cities and towns. He said the firm is willing to pay approximately $15,000 an acre per year for a long-term lease.The sites should be at least 20 acres and be accessible to the power grid, he said. Leasing 20 acres to the firm would mean $300,000 in annual income to the city.

"This is an absolutely intriguing possibility," said state Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, who is pushing for the project at the state level.Timilty said it has the double benefit of generating clean energy and raising money for cities and towns."I don't see a downside," he said.Attleboro Assessor Stanley Nacewicz said he, Mayor Kevin Dumas and others will meet with Ansar Energy Friday to talk about three sites in Attleboro.Nacewicz said he has identified about 100 acres of city-owed land near the closed Attleboro landfill, about 50 acres near the city wastewater treatment plant and another 65 acres "deep in the woods" off Lindsey Street as possibilities.All three sites have power lines nearby, he said.Nacewicz said he would like Ansar to lease all three sites, which could mean revenue of $1 million or more to the city - with no costs.Yasin said he has attorneys, consultants and a construction firm lined up to begin the project as soon as contracts with utilities and leases with cities can be obtained.

About one-third of the financing would come from government grants, with the rest obtained privately, he said. The contracts with the utilities would be used to leverage the financing, he said.Yasin said he has already talked to Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, about his plans. McGovern represents both Worcester and Attleboro. Murray is heading up a task force to compile a list of priority projects to be funded if and when Congress approves President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus package.