WINDSOR — A solar array being constructed in an agricultural field on Hunt Road is expected to be operational later this fall, the project’s developer said.
The 3.8-megawatt project received approval from the Vermont Public Utilities Commission in 2024.
It will use almost 9,800 solar panels mounted on “tilt racking” oriented south 3 feet off the ground to a maximum height of 12 feet, according to the PUC filing.
The array of 650-watt panels will cover about 21 acres of a 53-acre parcel. It is located just east of Interstate 91 and slightly south of where Hunt Road crosses under the interstate.
Hunt Road Solar has an option to buy an additional 28 acres, the PUC filing states.
Hunt Road Solar is the legal entity created by MHG Solar in Manchester, Vt., for the project. MHG designed the project and obtained all the required permits before selling it to the Florida-based Sea Oak Capital, said Thomas Hand, one of MHG Solar’s owners.
Terms of the sale have not been publicly disclosed, Hand said.
Sea Oak is a private equity firm concentrating its investments in renewable energy and acquires projects that have been “substantially developed,” but not constructed, according to its website.
It owns solar arrays in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and several in Vermont, including in Hartland, Newbury and Cavendish.
Attempts to contact Sea Oak Capital were unsuccessful.
The location was chosen “based upon its solar exposure, accessibility to existing roads and three-phase power,” the PUC filing states.
The siting of the project was done to avoid impact on wetlands and other natural resources, and no critical wildlife habitats are known to exist in the project’s footprint, the PUC filing states.
Access will be through a new road to the site from Hunt Road and perimeter fencing will surround the panels, the developer said. Some limited landscaping will partially screen the array from the interstate to the west and a development to the east.
The Hunt Road Solar project will be connected to the Green Mountain Power distribution line running along the road, likely in October, Hand said.
Windsor Town Manager Tom Marsh noted in his weekly newsletter last week that Green Mountain is cutting trees and installing poles in the vicinity of the array to allow for its connection.