Friday, December 17, 2010

City Earns Another Solar Array

Middletown has been notified by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) that the city has earned another free solar array to be used on a municipal building because another hundred households have signed up for the Options program.  According to the CCEF website:


CTCleanEnergyOptions is a Department of Public Utilities Control (DPUC) approved program that allows any Connecticut Light & Power or United Illuminating customer the opportunity to support clean energy made from approved renewable resources such as wind, small hydro and landfill gas. Customers who enroll continue to receive electric delivery service from their utility and pay a small clean energy surcharge. And, if your community has joined the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities program, by joining CTCleanEnergyOptions you are also helping your city or town qualify for a free solar electric system for a public building. It's an easy way to make a difference for your community, for Connecticut, and for our world.

"It costs the consumer pennies a month," said Common Council member Ron Klattenberg, who also serves on the city's Energy Committee, and is a strong advocate for energy conservation.  "It allows consumers to support generation of clean energy, and earns us points toward the solar arrays for the city.  These arrays come financed, delivered and installed."

The city has earned six free solar arrays so far.  Four of the arrays generate electricity for Woodrow Wilson Junior High.  Two more are "banked" for future use.


"We should consider using them on the new Senior Center," Klattenberg suggested.

The city now has 628 rate payers in the Options program, and will qualify for another array when that total reaches 700.






2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the memory, I went to Woodrow Wilson Junior High, it's a private apartment building now.

Anonymous said...

"Pennies a month"? I average about $7 extra a month for signing on for 100% renewable. Where do I sign up for the "pennies a month" plan. It's currently $.0119 a KWh. 500 KWh would be $5. Assuming that surcharge which is probably low, 700 residents are paying about $3,500 a month or $42,000 a year. How much do these solar arrays cost? Is the DPUC making money on this?