ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

Encore was responsible for all aspects of project development and construction, including design and engineering, permitting, procurement and financing for this public-private partnership with the ECHO Aquarium and Science Center and the City of Burlington. In addition, Encore and one of its financing partners will own, operate and maintain the project. The project, which was built over the Aquarium’s parking area, is the largest solar canopy built to date in Vermont. Located in the heart of the downtown Burlington’s Waterfront area, the project is a powerful emblem of the City’s commitment to clean energy and water.

The project employs innovative two-sided panels that capture reflected light as well as the direct rays of the sun, increasing its output and, therefore, the electricity savings delivered to ECHO. It was constructed at the same time as a new parking lot and a state-of-the-art stormwater pollution control system built by ECHO and the City of Burlington to help improve the water quality in Burlington’s inner harbor. The solar canopy project required complex engineering. Encore had to design for varying lakefront water levels, high winds, specific truck and bus traffic patterns at the Science Museum, and existing underground infrastructure.