On May 6, 2026, about 40 people attended a ribbon-cutting for a solar energy array that has been constructed on a portion of the W. R. Grace Superfund Site in South Acton. The facility was jointly developed by Syncarpha Capital and Renewable Energy Massachusetts (REM).
Pride in the facility was obvious during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Brian Kopperl, of REM, and John Mangiaratti, Acton Town Manager, introduced the program. Rebecca Tepper, Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, led the speaking program, which also included Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Danillo Sena, Select Board Chair Dean Charter, as well as a representative from Syncarpha. Many of the speakers highlighted the benefits of the facility, which include:
- Bringing much-needed local power generation to Massachusetts.
- Contributing to Acton’s Energy Efficiency Fund.
- Making productive use of a site with previously contaminated soils.
- Supporting community solar.
Acton’s sustainability director, Andrea Becerra, was in attendance. She commented, “It was amazing to be able to witness a solar project of this scale from beginning to now. I say now, because it’s still not the end — our Town and residents will directly benefit from this project through the life of the solar facility. It took the effort of so many people and it involved so many entities, and it was quite moving to see how proud everyone felt of the project.”
The 7.1 megawatt array is medium-sized for Massachusetts – supporting over 1200 homes. The facility includes 8 megawatt-hours of battery storage to stabilize the electricity output.
The Town of Acton is pursuing agreements to use some of the generated electricity for community solar, which provides electricity at lower rates for low-income customers. Acton Power Choice (APC), Acton’s municipal aggregation program, would automatically provide the power to low-income residents. Due to changes in electricity markets (See Acton Power Choice “standard” price and renewable energy content to decrease), APC can no longer continue its lowest-cost APC-basic rate, which has been in place since APC’s inception. If the community solar agreements come to fruition, community solar power would help make up for the loss of APC-basic.
As of last year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) regulations allow community solar to be provided through municipal aggregation programs, which greatly reduces paperwork for recipients.
David D Martin is one of Acton’s nine Clean Energy Coaches and a member of Acton’s Select Board
