VPPSA Bone Hill Solar

Encore developed, financed and constructed a 1.7MW solar array on property in Northfield, Vermont and within the Northfield Electric Department service territory. The project was completed under a partnership between Encore Renewable Energy and the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (“VPPSA”), a joint action agency established by act of the Vermont General Assembly to represent and advocate for several locally owned and democratically run municipal electric utilities in Vermont. VPPSA provides its members with a broad spectrum of joint action services such as: power aggregation, financial support, IT support, rate planning support and legislative and regulatory representation. 

The Bone Hill project is the fifth project delivered for VPPSA by Encore under an umbrella of projects representing approximately 10 MW which Encore won under a competitive procurement process. The site is one of the few parcels of land large enough to support a community scale solar array in the mountainous town of Northfield, Vermont. Similar to all other Encore projects, the Bone Hill project will be completed with pollinator-friendly ground cover to support vital habitat for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, and other insects. A robust pollinator ecosystem supports food resilience by  boosting crop yields, increasing the recharging of groundwater, reducing soil erosion and has the added benefit of providing long-term cost savings in operations and maintenance for the life of the project.