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A national cloud communication service provider with a Rhode Island footprint will soon host a solar farm on the roof of its Exeter facility.
NWN Carousel has kicked off construction of a 581-panel rooftop solar system that’s expected to generate 6 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity over the next 20 years.
Dozens of people gathered at NWN Carousel on Tuesday to celebrate the project's launch. Attendees were treated to live music from Rhode Island native James Montgomery and enjoyed lunchtime offerings from local food trucks, according to Andrew Gilman, NWN Carousel’s chief marketing officer.
“It’s a community effort. We’re trying to do our part by fostering a sustainable businesses model and being part of the solution,” Gilman told Business First. He added that Exeter town officials were supportive of the project and attended the event.
The project is being built by Ecogy Energy, a Brooklyn, N.Y.–based solar developer with an office in Newport. Ecogy has developed several commercial projects in Rhode Island, including at least two for Ocean State Job Lot. It specializes in building solar on rooftops, parking lots and brownfields, according to Andrew Araneo, chief marketing officer for the solar installer.
Under the arrangement in Exeter, NWN Carousel is leasing its rooftop to Ecogy, which will own, finance and develop the project, then sell the solar power to Rhode Island Energy under a 20-year fixed contract.
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“They're making investments in us. We're making investments in them,” Gilman said of the IT firm's business arrangement with the solar developer. He said NWN Carousel will receive a yearly lease payment from Ecogy for use of their roof.
NWN Carousel’s 50,000-square-foot facility in Exeter hosts a warehouse, network operations center, finance offices and a small data center. Across the U.S., the company has around 1,100 employees, with 563 in New England and “a couple hundred” in Rhode Island, Gilman said.
NWN provides secure infrastructure and cloud-based solutions for companies, agencies and institutions that wish to support remote or hybrid work solutions. Gilman said that the state of Rhode Island is a customer, as are some large utility companies, including Rhode Island Energy.
“As you know, the state’s goal is for 100% renewable energy by 2033. This is all goes towards that broader initiative,” Gilman remarked.
NWN Carousel was formed in 2021 when Massachusetts-based NWN Corp. acquired Carousel Industries in Exeter. The merger created "a new $1 billion run-rate national leader in cloud communications and infrastructure services," the company said at the time.
Ecogy is able to sell clean energy to Rhode Island Energy from the Exeter project because it won a certificate of eligibility, or COE, from the state’s Renewable Energy Growth Program. A COE entitles a renewable energy developer to bid to sell their clean energy under long-term tariffs at competitive fixed rates.
The REG program aims to increase clean energy production in the state. Enrollment is won through a competitive process, and developers must submit bids that are at or below a “ceiling price” set by the R.I. Distributed Generation Board.
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