Construction of solar panels at Ansonia High School has begun, according to SunLight General Capital, the company that will own the solar panels.
The $1 million system will be funded through state and federal grants, and by SunLight General.
Ansonia will purchase energy from the system at a discounted rate, which the city hopes will save it about 11 percent on its energy costs for the school each month.
The project is expected to generate nearly 230,000-kilowatt hours of energy each year.
Click here to read a previous story on the solar panels.
Ansonia High School is the city’s largest consumer of energy — one of the reasons it was chosen to house the panels. Over the 15-year life of the city’s agreement with SunLight General Capital, it will save more than $210,000 by purchasing energy generated by the installation, which will be constructed on the school’s roof, according to a press release issued by SunLight General.
“The City of Ansonia has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, and we are happy to be able to finance this project, which is an important part of the state’s solar power movement,” Stacey Hughes, managing partner of SunLight General Capital, said in a press release. “With construction soon to be underway, it will not be long until the city begins to enjoy the many benefits this installation will provide.”
At 200 kilowatts, the solar power that will be produced each year at the school is equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed by more than 20 homes in the United States, the press release said. Put another way, the installation will produce enough clean energy to power approximately 1,314 light bulbs for a year.
In addition to the funding provided by SunLight General Capital, the project will receive a grant of more than $400,000 through the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funding pool.
