Five rooftop solar arrays will save North Stonington $1.6 million in energy costs

Solar Builder | Staff
August 25, 2021

Greenskies Clean Energy recently installed five rooftop solar energy systems totaling over 572 kW for the Town of North Stonington, Connecticut. Altogether, Greenskies installed nearly 1,500 solar PV modules on the rooftops at the North Stonington Volunteer Fire Company and Ambulance Association 62 kW, the Central Office administrative building 130 kW, North Stonington Elementary School 139 kW, and two arrays totaling 241 kW at the recently renovated Wheeler Middle and High School.

“Greenskies is excited to help the Town of North Stonington and the Board of Education reduce their energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Stanley Chin, President and CEO of Greenskies. “As the top commercial solar developer in Connecticut, we’ve helped more than a third of municipalities go solar. We take pride in helping towns reap the immediate and long-term savings of solar. And we enjoy watching those savings translate into direct, meaningful benefits for residents and students alike.”

North Stonington and its Board of Education selected Greenskies through a competitive RFP bid to design, build, own, operate, and maintain the solar systems. The Town then entered into a solar PPA with Greenskies, who completed the installations at no upfront cost. In addition, the Town will benefit from reduced energy rates, saving approximately $1.6 million in electricity costs over the 20-year term.

“Saving on energy costs and offsetting our carbon footprint with renewable energy are incredibly important to the Town of North Stonington,” North Stonington First Selectman Michael Urgo said. “As a Town we must set the standard for transitioning to more sustainable practices for the long-term. We are happy to have seen this project to completion and to do our part as a community to help reduce carbon emissions.”

These projects will generate over 634,000 kWh of clean energy annually and will offset approximately 40 percent of the electricity costs of the facilities, according to the Town’s First Selectman, Michael Urgo. Over their lifetime, these projects will offset approximately 9,000 metric tons of CO2, or the equivalent of taking nearly 2,000 cars off the road according to the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Calculator.