E. Robert Erb, project manager for Solar Design Associates, Inc., stands beside a boulder discovered when land off Ayer Road was cleared for the Harvard Solar Garden. Site clearing began Nov. 4. The crew intended to move the boulder—until they discovered its size when fully excavated. It will remain in place. (Courtesy photo)
New England gardeners expect rocks, and recently the Harvard Solar Garden lived up to expectations—and then some. When Solar Design Associates, engineering and procurement contractor for Harvard’s community solar project, began clearing the Ayer Road site last week, they encountered a seemingly small boulder where some of the solar panel support posts will go. Digging to remove the rock eventually became digging to see how big the darn thing could possibly be. Too big to take out, was one answer.
Asked if the rock is a showstopper, Steven Strong, Solar Design Associates president, said, “It’s yet another hurdle, but we’ll get past it; hopefully it will be the biggest (and last) one. The project is too worthwhile to let a rock stop it.”
If the weather conditions are favorable, construction on the community project is expected to begin in January with installation of support posts and electrical trenches. Solar panels and inverters will be installed in the spring. The whole project must be completed by the end June to qualify for all available incentives.
The first phase of the community shared solar facility has been fully subscribed for more than a year. Phase two subscriptions, limited to 15 kilowatts or less, are under way.
According to project manager Worth Robbins, anyone interested in owning a share in the garden, and maybe a few rocks, can find out how to join at hsgarden.org.
