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09/27/2019 12:00 AMSeptember 27, 2019: Branford First Selectman James Cosgrove and Town officials are celebrating the first anniversary of the activation of the large 4.5-acre "solar farm" located between Tabor Drive and Pine Orchard Road.
The innovative state of the art installation was established through a power purchase agreement under which the Town provided the site of the installation and Tesla constructed, operates and maintains the system and sells the electricity produced to the Town at a lower rate than is otherwise available. There was no financial investment from the Town.
The solar array consists of more than 4,000 computer-guided photovoltaic panels. The system achieves maximum productivity by "tracking" the sun from east to west over the course of each day. In its first year of operation, the system generated 1.24 million-kilowatt hours of electricity (an average of about 3400 kWh/day), enough energy to power some 125 homes for a year.
With the guidance of the town's Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee the town is also working on implementing other clean energy initiatives including: a major town building energy conservation project; purchasing of electric cars for the town fleet and developing a program to make high efficiency air source heat pumps more available for residential homes.
The Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee was formed in 2019 to advise the town on matters related to clean energy and ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Committee members include Sharon Huttner, Bill Horne, Bob Babcock, Shirley McCarthy, Greg Ames, Marshall Cox, Elena Cahill, Chris Lenda and Rick Saltz.
Anyone seeking additional information should contact the Branford Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee Chair, Shirley McCarthy at shirley.mccarthy@yale.edu