Encore Renewable Energy and the Greater Burlington YMCA announced today the completion of a new rooftop solar array in downtown Burlington. Encore worked extensively with the YMCA's management team and construction contractors to integrate the solar project into the new facility that was constructed on a redeveloped property in downtown Burlington, Vermont.
The new rooftop solar array will provide the YMCA cost savings on the facility's electric bills and the opportunity to acquire the asset at a future date, while also complementing their sustainability goals to be energy efficient. It also furthers Burlington's position as a national leader in solar installed per capita and supports the city's ambitious clean energy goals.
"The Encore team worked in close collaboration with the Greater Burlington YMCA to deliver this renewable energy project on a challenging site and under tight construction timelines. It's always exciting to continue to support our home city's ambitious climate and clean energy goals. This project is another great example of the triple bottom line, win-win-win nature of clean energy projects.," said Chad Farrell, CEO and Founder of Encore Renewable Energy.
"From the beginning, the quest to build a new Y has always been about the benefit to the community," said Kyle Dodson, President & CEO of the Greater Burlington YMCA. "Although not our core business, clean energy is important to the health of Burlington, and it felt like a squandered opportunity to not take advantage of our large, flat new roof. With all of the design and financial challenges of the building itself, we were struggling with attending to a solar project. We are deeply grateful to Encore for solving the funding and logistical issues and making this project work!"
"Partnering with the Burlington YMCA on this project offers value alignment on multiple fronts," said Sarah Valdovinos, Founder of Golden Sail, the project's main investor. "Providing the funding solution for a project like this goes above and beyond the financial value that the project offers, given the Y's mission, we're achieving various ESG metrics by supporting the sustainable development of Burlington in addition to participating in healing the climate."
The project will provide approximately 25% of the building's energy requirements with clean solar power. In addition to the economic benefits in the form of energy savings, the project also supports the YMCA's commitment to social responsibility by offsetting the carbon equivalent of the fuel consumption associated with 35 passenger cars annually or nearly 17,500 gallons of gasoline consumption.