DiPrete Engineering provides services for FRIEnergy's 5-acre solar farm

DiPrete Engineering recently completed the civil engineering and local and state permitting for a five-acre photovoltaic solar farm. FRIEnergy is leasing the property from Bill and Bill Reichert Jr. of Reichert and Son's Fuel Oil. The Reicherts plan to power their own homes and business with the solar energy from the 4,000 black non-glare panels. DiPrete Engineering also performed the primary drainage design and civil engineering work on the eight-acre site. "I like working with DiPrete Engineering," said James Barrett, CEO of FRIEnergy. "They are responsive and they have a great track record in helping their clients to meet the proper environmental requirements." "We worked hard to engineer the site efficiently and to minimize construction costs," said Jill Daponte, project engineer at DiPrete. "We were very conscious of budget." At 800 feet the site is one of the highest points in the state, making it attractive for the project. According to rienergy.org, comparatively high electricity prices in New England makes solar energy economical, even with modest solar resources. "This is one of the first projects of its kind in the northeast market and we were excited to be a part of it," said Nicole Reilly, senior project manager at DiPrete.