The Massachusetts Smart Program has set an ambitious goal to support the installation of 1,600 megawatts (MW) of solar in the state. This portfolio of projects is one of the first that CVE has developed in the United States as a part of this Program.

CVE Group is an international independent power producer developing and operating value-added renewable energy production facilities around the world. For the past 6 years, its American branch CVE North America has been developing solar projects across the United States to help fulfill the demands of the many renewable target goals established by each state. CVE has trusted CS Energy as its first partner in designing, procuring, and installing its first five-project portfolio in Tolland, Russell, Peru, Westport, and New Marlborough, totaling 25 MW of ground-mounted solar arrays. Two years later, CS Energy constructed a second portfolio for CVE in Acushnet, totaling 4.5 MW.

All the projects had significant sub-surface installation risks, that included: shallow bedrock, boulders, and, on Tolland, a high ground-water level. CS Energy and CVE coordinated design of these systems with local municipalities to mitigate these sub-surface risks. Re-shaping detention basins, swales, and infiltration trenches to fit the contours of the geology are some of the ways that CS Energy had minimized the financial and schedule impacts that these subsurface conditions induce. CS Energy developed foundation plans and installation methods with RBI and Terrasmart to eliminate foundation risk. In conjunction, CS Energy leveraged partnerships with local excavation contractors and sand suppliers to ensure electrical conduit installations are secured in clean back-fill. The CS Energy field teams had managed all these projects in parallel through the winter months without personnel injury.