267th largest plant in Massachusetts · 8898th nationally
Framingham State University Plant is a solar power plant in Massachusetts with a nameplate capacity of 3.4 MW. It generates roughly 119 MWh per year — enough to power about 11 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 294 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Framingham State University Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Framingham State University |
| City | Framingham |
| County | Middlesex County |
| State | Massachusetts |
| ZIP | 01701 |
| Coordinates | 42.29795, -71.43606 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACPV | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 0.7 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| HA | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.4 MW | Standby | 2007 |
| PP | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.4 MW | Standby | 2009 |
| TOW2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.4 MW | Standby | 2013 |
| CCPV | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 0.3 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| LIB | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.3 MW | Standby | 2005 |
| MSC2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Standby | 2015 |
| NORTH | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Standby | 2011 |
| TOW1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Retired | 2004 |
| WEST | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Standby | 2016 |
| MSC | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 0.1 MW | Retired | 1974 |
| OC | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.1 MW | Standby | 2003 |
| CO₂ | 17 metric tons |
|---|---|
| CO₂ Rate | 294 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| 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.