New solar facility complete in Spfld.

INDIAN ORCHARD, Mass. (WWLP) - The Indian Orchard section of Springfield is now home to the newest and largest solar facility in New England.

The sun may have not been shining, but a new solar facility unveiled on Wednesday in Indian Orchard was still generating electricity.

In total, there are 8,200 solar panels producing 2.3 megawatts of electricity, which has the capability to power up to 500 homes.

While solar energy is an expensive technology, there are some benefits to having different sources for energy.

"Generally it's a clean source, it's not subject to spikes in commodities like oil or natural gas, so the sun will continue to shine this will continue to put out," said Peter Clarke, President of WMECo.

The solar panel facility won't just help out the environment, but it will help out the community as well. It's built on 12 acres of land in Indian Orchard and it'll generate $400,000 a year of property tax revenue for the city of Springfield according to a news release from WMECo.

Neighbors living close to the new Goodwin Street facility seem to support this solar development in their back yard.

"I support it, I don't complain, it's the future that's what they're talking about what are we going to complain about… You never know what could go inside there and now it's all clear, it's all clean,” said Jose Ortiz of Indian Orchard.

The total cost for the project was around $12 million.