The project, which is expected to generate nearly 230,000-kilowatt hours of energy each year, will be built at no expense to the City of Ansonia, which will reap significant savings through reduced energy bills.
Under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), SunLight General financed and owns the installation and will provide clean, renewable energy to the school, at a known fixed price that is substantially lower than local utility rates.
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 PPA 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.
"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," stated Stacey Hughes, managing partner of SunLight General Capital. "With construction soon to be underway, it will not be long until the city begins to enjoy the many benefits this installation will provide."
Part of Ansonia's Energy Improvement District, the installation will provide major benefits to the environment. 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. Put another way, the installation will produce enough clean energy to power approximately 1,314 light bulbs for a year.
Each year, the installation will save approximately 164 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the environment. It would take approximately 35 acres of forest in order to reduce emissions by the same amount. Over the 25-year life of the installation, this amounts to more than 4,100 tons of carbon dioxide.
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 (RGGI) funding pool.
