Stonehill College Unveils Solar Power Array

Stonehill College is unveiling a solar panel field it says is the largest at any college in New England.

The 9,000-panel field opening Wednesday is on an unused parcel of land across from the Roman Catholic college's main campus in Easton and is expected to save the school $185,000 per year in energy costs, and about $3.2 million over 15 years.

The energy produced is expected to account for 20 percent of Stonehill's electrical usage.

The solar installation is the 11th largest at a college in the nation.

The project is part of the school's commitment to the St. Francis Pledge, which has been signed by a dozen Catholic colleges nationwide. The pledge, named after St. Francis of Assisi, is a public promise to protect God's creation and the environment.