Natick High School solar project to be nearly completed by start of school

Students returning for the first day of school at Natick High on Aug. 28 will see a new solar canopy atop the faculty parking lot.

Major construction of the project is slated to be completed by late August. In total, 1,450 solar panels will be placed on top of the faculty parking lot as part of a power purchase agreement the town has entered with Ameresco Inc., a Framingham renewable energy company, according to Natick Sustainability Coordinator Jillian Wilson-Martin.

Ameresco Inc. will handle all the construction costs and maintenance of the solar canopy, and it’s estimated the town will see about $430,000 in savings on energy costs throughout its 20-year agreement with the company, according to David J. Anderson, Ameresco’s executive vice president and director.