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    Cranberry Bog Solar: Syncarpha Capital Completes Solar-Storage Combo at Dual-Purpose Agricultural Site in Massachusetts

    Dec. 3, 2024
    The project on land owned by E.J. Pontiff Cranberries will generate approximately 9,500 MWh in its initial year of operation, providing discounted solar energy credits for nearly 350 low-income residents and anchor off-takers.
    Syncarpha Capital's 'Carver Solar' boasts a 7.1 MW-DC community solar installation, paired with a 4 MW x 2-hour battery storage system. Image credit Syncarpha Capital/PR Newswire
    Syncarpha Capital's "Carver Solar" boasts a 7.1 MW-DC community solar installation, paired with a 4 MW x 2-hour battery storage system. Image credit Syncarpha Capital/PR Newswire

    New York-based renewable energy developer Syncarpha Capital has put its Syncarpha Carver solar power and energy storage project into operation atop a leased cranberry bog in Massachusetts.

    The Carver, Mass. Site is now operational after receiving its state regulatory permission to operate in late November. The Syncarpha project includes 7.1-MW of community solar paired with a 4-MW-by-2 hour battery storage system.

    The installation occupies 28 acres of a cranberry bog leased from the E.J. Pontiff Cranberries corporate farm. It supports a dual-purpose land strategy including clean energy development with the preservation of Massachusetts' agricultural landscapes.

    Carver is designed to generate approximately 9,500 MWh in its initial year of operation, providing discounted solar energy credits for nearly 350 low-income residents and anchor off-takers Tufts University and Milton Academy.

    "The Syncarpha team thrives on tackling challenging projects and delivering innovative solar and storage solutions that benefit communities while respecting and preserving local land use,” Clifford Chapman, co-founder and CEO of Syncarpha Capital, said in a statement. “The Carver project exemplifies our commitment and is the result of years of collaboration and meticulous planning with state, county, and local agencies, as well as Eversource (the power utility in the region), to bring this project to completion.”

    The battery storage component of the project will help store excess solar energy and release it during peak demand periods, a key feature under the Massachusetts Clean Peak program. Syncarpha's project will play an active role in stabilizing the local grid, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and contributing to Massachusetts' clean energy goals.

    Community solar is financially supported by subscriptions from customers who can receive credits for the renewable energy generated at the site. It is considered less expensive than individual rooftop solar installations, and offers a more direct connection to clean energy than utility-scale projects.

    Syncarpha Capital was founded in 2009. Since then, it has developed solar projects in multiple states, including Maine, New York, Arizona, Nevada and South Carolina.

    E.J. Pontiff Cranberries is one of about 600 family growers in the cooperative supplying Ocean Spray Cranberries, according to previous news reports. The company also is involved in real estate development.

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    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.