Barrington Power

What sets Barrington Power apart in the new solar revolution is its ability to provide a variety of solutions to prospective commercial, municipal and not-for-profit organizations. Businesses can avoid capital commitments altogether or they can benefit from structured investments to maximize potential financial returns when they do invest. Municipalities, public schools, fire stations, maintenance operations, churches, hospitals, clinics can take advantage of government subsidies and either reduce the capital cost of renewable energy investments or bypass them altogether As a third party funding source, Barrington Energy applies in-depth engineering and management skills to develop innovative constructs that address the energy needs, provide immediate and continuous operating savings and gear funding requirements to the size and scale of projects in the New England market.

• We draw from a pool of the best subcontractors in the industry on an as-needed basis, allowing us to be flexible and responsive no matter the size and scope of the project

• In partnership with clients and installation companies, we provide:

• Project design, engineering support, installation expertise, and negotiating and financing support to balance the needs of developers, investors and consumers

• Engineering, management and legal expertise to adapt large-scale projects to local markets

• Third party funding to take advantage of tax credit opportunities and remove the immediate need for capital investments. Energy saving measures, in tandem with solar technologies, address critical climate change issues. Tier 1 renewable energy equipment designed to outlast 25-year warranties

• A highly trained and experienced support network

Projects:

Barrington Power has both client and PPA owned installations ranging in size from 16 kilowatts to over 200 kw of solar electric and several integrated systems combining energy efficiency, hot water, heat pumps, battery storage and wind energy. The key to its client appeal is its commitment to maximizing renewable energy technology and construction of funding solutions that both save clients money while providing a reasonable return to Barrington Power’s investors.

Approach:

A typical project might be 145kw solar electric installation at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, VT. The field mounted array located on the hospital’s campus uses a unique layout to deal with several overlapping utility right of ways and complicated boundaries.. At the same time the enclosed arrays are used as a pasture for sheep which allows the hospital to demonstrate and display its sensitivity to the needed integration of renewable technology and traditional uses of land in Vermont.  The system is part of a three project plan adopted by the hospital to make use of solar credits to lower operating expenses. By signing a long term power purchase agreement Barrington Power was able to establish an ownership structure and take advantage of federal and state subsidies, lower the capital costs for systems and pass along a portion of the benefit to the hospital in the form of lower operating expenses.  When completed, it is expected that over 80% of the hospital’s electricity requirements will come from renewable solar electricity without the hospital having to make a capital investment. At the same time, the hospital will have achieved a significant savings on its electricity costs.

Mission Driven

When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009 the availability of both tax credits and grants established a mad rush into the solar field. While the industry has experienced significant growth it has also been accompanied by less than professional behavior on the part of some of its players, pushback from communities offended by the lack of sensitivity to property rights, traditional land use, esthetics, and environmental impact. Competing energy vendors have created public policy uncertainty with the use of spurious claims. Local and state taxing authorities have attempted to over burden this emerging technology. Regulators have dramatically slowed project approvals while being intimidated by contentious elements of the public. Politicians have introduced polarizing approaches to climate change and the technology needed to combat it. These circumstances have not only slowed progress in the technology’s implementation but have added costs, delays and impediments  What started as a fairly simple process has quickly become a quagmire that requires a mature, patient and persistent approach. Barrington Power has several specific benefits in this environment. First, Jack and Dave are extremely competent in their respective fields and can be persuasive in defending both projects and project funding. Second, because they outsource the various skills required for planning, permitting, procurement, installation and operations, their overhead is scandalously low. Finally, they are mission driven which means this business is not all about greed. Both believe it is imperative that renewable energy become the dominant source for the future and are willing to put in the time and focus required to thread through the issues and obstructions which are a part of life in this field.

Jack Bingham is a serial tech early adopter. As a commercial photographer for 20 years he developed a skill for problem solving and an appetite for cutting edge solutions. Switching from film to digital early in the revolution was highly technical and fraught with stumbling blocks but being ahead of the curve was the place to be. From helping develop a digital radio triggering system for clients like National Geographic, the NBA, Sports Illustrated and thousands of other photographers, to the design and implementation of a computer monitor color management system used by the largest commercial printer in the world, Quad Graphics, Jack has always been on the cutting edge of technology.  Throughout his career, the hallmark of Jack’s many and varied undertakings has been his talent for problem-solving in complicated industrial situations. This, coupled with vision and a willingness to explore technical challenges, made him uniquely suited to his new career in solar and other renewable energy systems. He began in 2007 as CEO of Seacoast Energy Alternatives, a residential retail renewable energy company. He went on to co-found Barrington Power, offering small and medium-sized organizations—industrial, municipal and residential— affordable access to renewable energy. Jack is in charge of all aspects of the projects, performing site evaluations, preparing quotations and design specs for solar hot water and electrical systems, battery storage, and heating and cooling technologies specifically designed for each installation. And as with his other endeavors, Jack realized that, although he understood the principles of solar power, he did not have the financial background or expertise crucial to this new project. Introducing David Russell.