282nd largest plant in Massachusetts · 8991st nationally
Cottage Street Solar Facility is a solar power plant in Massachusetts with a nameplate capacity of 3.2 MW. It generates roughly 3.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 340 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 13% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Cottage Street Solar Facility |
|---|---|
| Operator | Western Massachusetts Electric Company |
| City | Springfield |
| County | Hampden County |
| State | Massachusetts |
| ZIP | 01104 |
| Coordinates | 42.14528, -72.53833 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV-3 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 3.2 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| NERC Region | NPCC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Iso New England Inc. |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.