Local company, FireFlower Alternative Energy, has partnered with Geriatric Medical & Surgical Supply and MassAmerican Energy to develop a large rooftop solar array at 28 Torrice Drive in the City of Woburn. The solar array, consisting of 1,170 solar panels and 45 inverters, has an impressive 583 kW system size. It will create approximately 665,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, and create enough power to offset 100% of the electricity consumption on site. Entrepreneur Kathleen C. Doyle founded FireFlower Alternative Energy in 2008. Ms. Doyle has extensive expertise in solar, wind, and biofuel development, combined with over 20 years’ experience in commercial real estate. A business leader with a passion for sustainable living, Ms. Doyle has fueled her own vehicle with waste vegetable oil. In addition, a photovoltaic (PV) system has been powering all of the electric demand at her family’s home for over 8 years.
Of the Torrice Drive project, Ms. Doyle said, “Geriatric Medical has prioritized its contribution to sustainability, as well as energy independence. Large-scale roof-mounted solar installations such as this benefit the environment by providing clean, renewable power at no additional cost to the building occupant, while helping the property owner’s bottom line. Further, Geriatric Medical will sell its excess power to other environmentally-conscious businesses, maximizing the environmental benefit of the project.” Jeffrey Siegal, CEO of Geriatric Medical, enthusiastically states: “This clean energy initiative is very important to our company. Our team is proud that we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint, and our hope is to inspire other members of the community to do the same.”
The 28 Torrice Drive solar array is net metered and interconnected to the grid, generating renewable power. Additionally, the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs), created by the state to help incentivize solar development in Massachusetts, helped make the project possible. MassAmerican Energy, the installation vendor for this project, is one of the Northeast’s largest solar contractors. Financing for the construction of the solar array was provided by East Boston Savings Bank.
FireFlower Alternative Energy helps businesses profitably invest in America’s energy independence. With a focus on the numbers, FireFlower invests in and develops renewable energy in the Northeast and can help site owners, commercial energy users, and the financial community collaborate to get real projects built.
