By – Reporter, Providence Business First

Under an arrangement in Exeter, RI, �������� is renting its rooftop to which will own, finance and develop the project, then sell the solar power to Rhode Island Energy under a 20-year fixed contract.

“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 �������� will receive a yearly lease payment from Ecogy for use of their roof.

��������’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.

�������� 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.

�������� was formed in 2021 when Massachusetts-based �������� 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.

News item from Providence Business First