Evergreen Solar, Inc. announced a 220-kilowatt ground mounted installation is now operational at Carlson Orchards, Inc., a 120-acre apple, peach and nectarine orchard that also produces more than 500,000 gallons of apple cider each year. The array was constructed using Evergreen Solar’s ES-A Series String Ribbon solar panels.

The system will supply approximately two-thirds of the electricity at the orchard by powering two large-scale refrigeration buildings and the orchard’s cider press. The system will generate more than 5 million kilowatt hours of electricity over 20 years. It will also eliminate an estimated 3,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of removing approximately 670 passenger cars from the road.

To make room for the solar array, Carlson Orchards made a conscious decision to remove two acres of 45-year-old apple trees, displaying the company’s commitment to incorporating renewable energy resources to meet its electricity demands.

“The ability to continue my family’s farming tradition has required imagination and resourcefulness,” remarked Franklyn Carlson, president of Carlson Orchards. “I had looked at solar incentives … but Symantha Gates of EC3 Consulting helped guide and provide us a vision — a sustainability approach for our power consumption — that was viable. She managed our financing and project implementation. Now, 10 months later the effort is complete.”

“This is a unique and interesting solar power system that shines the spotlight on a company that is dedicated to finding clean, reliable ways to power their business,” said Scott Gish, Evergreen Solar’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We’re proud to not just be associated with the Carlson Orchards project but to have it just down the street from our Devens factory where these panels were produced. Our Devens manufacturing plant continues to be a major success for Evergreen Solar manufacturing high quality solar panels for use around the world.”

Because the array is located on slanted ground, careful attention had to be paid to its architecture. The project’s installer, Lighthouse Electrical Construction, hired Steven Kelleher Architects and its subsidiary, kWind, Inc. Working closely together, they designed a racking system that employs variable length legs to yield a level installation that maximizes each solar panel’s electrical potential.

“It was important to preserve the contour of the land so as not to significantly disrupt the natural feel of the orchard,” said Herb Aikens, president of Lighthouse Electrical Contracting, Inc. “With that design requirement in mind, we took great care to design the array in smaller sub arrays that fit into the existing topography. In looking at the final product, I think we were very successful in achieving our goal.”