Innovative Community Solar Project Completed, Sending Clean Energy with Silfab Solar Panels to Concord, N.H., New England

Lodestar Energy, Brochu Nursery and Landscaping, State and Local Leaders Celebrate Collaborative Effort for a More Sustainable Future

CONCORD, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The power is on at a new community solar project delivering an important source of renewable energy to the City of Concord, local schools, and the regional power grid.

Governor Kelly Ayotte, local officials and Lodestar Energy, the project’s developer, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today marking the completion of the LSE Ursa Minor community solar project at Brochu Nurseries. The solar farm, built with locally sourced panels from Silfab Solar, is expected to generate more than 9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean power annually, enough to power approximately 1,000 U.S. homes per year or take approximately 1,500 gas-powered cars off the road.

"This project represents more than just a new source of clean energy; it reflects what can happen when innovation, conservation, and collaboration come together to invest in our region's future," said Jack Funk, co-founder of Lodestar Energy. "We're grateful to the Brochu family for their partnership in turning a fallow corner of their land into a productive clean energy asset, and proud of the lasting benefits this project will deliver to Concord and the surrounding schools.”

The solar project transformed a fallow, no-longer-usable portion of Brochu Nurseries' land into a productive renewable energy asset. In addition to adding significant amounts of solar energy to the local grid, the project is expected to generate substantial public benefits over the course of its operations, including:

• Over $1 million in local electrical grid upgrades
• Over $1 million in city tax revenue
• Over $1 million in net metering credits for participating communities, including educational and municipal partners.

Lodestar Energy worked closely with Clean Energy NH, the nonprofit collaborative of local businesses and municipalities working to adopt more clean energy solutions in the state. At today’s ceremony, Lodestar also highlighted the significance of using Silfab panels.

“For a community solar project like this at Brochu Nurseries, being able to point to panels built here in the U.S. — at Silfab's South Carolina and Washington State facilities — matters to the towns and schools we're serving,” said Jeffrey Macel, co-founder of Lodestar Energy. “With more than 40 projects completed and more on the way, we look forward to continuing our work to deliver a responsible and important source of new energy to the greater New England area.”

Brochu Nurseries and Lodestar Energy also thanked others whose support made this project possible, including Governor Kelly Ayotte and Mayor Byron Champlin.

About Lodestar Energy

Lodestar Energy is a Connecticut-based developer, owner, and operator of community solar and energy storage projects across the Northeast. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Avon, Conn., Lodestar has completed more than 40 projects and is active in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The company works closely with landowners, municipalities, school districts, and utilities, including projects on brownfields and capped landfills, to turn underused land into productive clean energy assets. By pairing local development expertise with long-term ownership, Lodestar delivers renewable energy and utility bill savings to the communities it serves.

About Silfab Solar

Silfab Solar is the North American leader in the design, development, and manufacture of high-efficiency, premium quality PV modules and cells. Silfab leverages more than 40 years of solar experience and best-in-class technologies to produce the highest-rated solar products. Silfab has locations in Burlington, Washington; Fort Mill, South Carolina; and Toronto, Canada. Each operating facility features multiple automated production lines, an ISO 9001:2015-accredited quality management system, and just-in-time manufacturing to deliver BABA-approved solar products specifically designed for and dedicated to the North American market. www.silfabsolar.com