Oct. 27--HAVERHILL -- When the sun shines, whether above the Citizens Center or on Hilldale Avenue, it will save electricity.

Workers have begun installing solar panels on top of the Citizens Center. The panels will provide a portion of the electricity used in that building, said city Human Services Director Vincent Ouellette. A state grant will pay for the project.

Meanwhile, on Hilldale Avenue, just outside Lafayette Square, National Grid has begun plans for a solar farm that will cover nearly 5 acres and produce enough energy for 175 homes. The company owns the site next to the former Cerretani's supermarket. The old Boston Gas Co., which merged with National Grid, formerly owned the land.

National Grid spokeswoman Deborah Drew has said construction on the solar farm, expected to produce 1,000 kilowatts of electricity, should start by the end of the year. So far, the only sign of the coming solar farm is a National Grid sign, which depicts many rows of solar panels and touts the advantages of clean energy.

Besides the Hilldale Avenue facility, National Grid plans to construct solar farms in Dorchester, Revere and Everett as well as on the Sutton/Northbridge town line.

National Grid estimates that designing and building the five solar sites will cost approximately $31 million. The company anticipates the solar panel installations will cost its Massachusetts customers approximately 6 cents per month averaged over the life of the project.

The city is looking at the possibility of installing solar panels on other buildings besides the Citizens Center.

"The panels are being installed as part of our efforts to make Haverhill green and clean," Mayor James Fiorentini said. "We also join with National Grid this week in kicking off one of the largest solar farms in Massachusetts."

Last year, state Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, arranged for the installation of a solar panel at GAR Park that powers the illumination of a flag. A state grant paid for that project.

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