Boston and Florida companies, ClearPath Energy and Maitland and Castillo Engineering, are set to build six community bifacial solar farms in the state of New York.
According to Electrek, the six solar farms will range from 4.5 MW to 7.5 MW in size. All farms are in the last stages of construction, and some are already mechanically completed. All of them are set to be operational in the first half of 2022.
Half of the farms use solar trackers, while the other half use fixed-tilt racking, and all of them have bifacial modules.
“Bifacial, or double-sided, solar panels collect light on both sides. They can produce one-third more energy than monofacial solar panels. They are slim and need special racking in order to gain maximum exposure to the sun. The side of the panels not aimed toward the sun – the backsheet – can use light reflected off the ground or another material, and the lighter the surface – like sand – the more effective it is for the solar panel.”
These solar farms will produce enough energy to power 8,700 homes yearly. Three of the farms are located in Onondaga County, which will get a solar capacity boost of 50%, which is 15 MW. This is enough for 2,200 homes.
The farms support New York State’s goal to achieve 70% of the total state’s energy manufactured by renewable sources from 2030.
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