historic mill morphs into a showplace of sustainability

SDA designs a PV System for Mill Reclamation

Location: Fitchburg, MA USA Client: MassInnovation Use: mix of office space, charter school, residential

The mixed-use development in Central Massachusetts features the largest PV array in New EnglandBackground:
Owner Robert Ansin's vision was to revitalize his former textile factory and transform it, using sound environmental and economic means, into a model of new thinking and learning about sustainable development.

Special Features:

• SDA designed and installed New England's largest PV array on the roof of the building
• The installation includes 530 PV panels on the 330,000 sq. ft. mill, as well as seven trellises in the courtyard, producing 157kW of clean power
• At peak power, this represents electricity enough to power 80 homes, and displaces 134 tons of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be produced by burning conventional fossil fuels.

Outcome:
Offices, a charter school, and mixed-income residential units fill the site with movement, purpose and the sound of young voices. The project has gained recognition across the country for its innovative approach to repurposing historic mill space into a vibrant, 21st century hub of activity.

A two-hundred-year-old mill may seem an unlikely place to site the largest PV array yet installed in New England. But through the foresight of the owner of a century-old shoe factory, this venerable mill complex is experiencing a renaissance.

Obtaining grants from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Robert Ansin assembled a group of Massachusetts-based alternative energy firms to transform an 1850's era mill into a modern mixed-use urban campus.

Solar Design Associates was engaged to install the massive array of PV panels on the roof and 7 trellises constructed in the building's courtyard. Other sustainable-development practices are incorporated into the project, including recycled materials and geothermal heating and cooling systems.

"Our real estate management and development company is committed to improving communities by revitalizing properties and using smart growth principles as we do it. This 330,000-square foot mixed-use redevelopment project in Fitchburg reuses a 125-year-old mill complex, recycles historic building materials, and includes state-of-the art renewable energy technology. It¹s important to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. "Solar Design Associates helped us realize our vision, creating new uses for our old mill space - integrating sustainable technologies with hundred-year-old construction." Massachusetts Innovation Center CEO Robert Ansin

"This installation is a major milestone for solar energy in New England. We are privileged to support MassInnovation on this landmark project" Steven Strong, President, SDA

SDA was delighted to partner with MassInnovation on the rebirth of the mill. The project elegantly demonstrates several major benefits of incorporating renewable energy systems into community revitalization projects:

• Environmental preservation: repurposing of essentially sound commercial real estate
• Sustainability: ensuring that the facility serves the needs of future generations
• Energy security: decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and imported energy sources
• Economic stimulus: engaging local firms and workers to invest development funds in the local economy

Solar Design Associates thrives on this type of project - revitalizing commercial spaces through forward-thinking new tech solutions.

If you are embarking on a similar project, share your thoughts with us and begin a dialogue on how SDA can assist in realizing your vision.

• Solar Array to Power New Life for Massachusetts Mill
  Renewable Access: PDF
• New England's Largest Solar PV System Online
  Renewable Access: PDF
• MassInnovation

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