Groton Board of Education achieves <br>solar installation at two schools

Groton, CT The Town of Groton Board of Education has completed the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on two schools, Groton Middle School and Mystic River Magnet. These systems are estimated to save the district more than $40,000 annually in energy costs and more than $800,000 over the term of the power purchase agreements (PPA). The Connecticut Green Bank provided Groton Public Schools with guidance through its Solar Municipal Assistance Program (MAP), which simplified the process of going solar to allow the district access to the savings benefits with fewer challenges. Solar developer Verogy was responsible for the installation of the systems.

The system at Groton Middle School has 560 panels with a 230 kW capacity, and the Mystic River Magnet School has 256 panels with 100 kW capacity.

“During the planning and construction of the Groton 2020 initiative, which built our three new schools, the community expressed interest in green energy options,” said Susan Austin, Superintendent of Groton Public Schools. “We worked with Connecticut Green Bank and received the financing to install the solar panels at two of our new schools, at no cost to the community, which will provide significant savings.”

“We’ll continue to explore future opportunities for renewable and green energy. As part of the planned roofing project at Charles Barnum next year, the BOE is interested in looking at solar energy,” she said.

Groton is the latest in a series of municipal installations completed using the Green Bank’s Solar MAP. Through this program, the Green Bank offers technical support to municipalities seeking assistance in developing solar PV projects on municipal buildings, such as town halls, emergency services buildings, schools, and more. The Green Bank also provides financing for the solar systems through a PPA, which allows the municipality to access solar with no upfront installation costs, no new debt to incur, and no operations and maintenance costs.

“Groton Middle School and Mystic River Magnet School were designed and built with infrastructure in place to support a plan to install Solar PV systems in the future. Working with the Green Bank over the last four years through their Solar Municipal Assistance Program and their partners, CSW Energy and Verogy, the district was able to execute that plan. Groton Public Schools is presently working with the Green Bank for solar installations on two other schools and looks forward to completing those projects,” said Rick Norris, project manager, Groton Public Schools.

“We commend Groton Board of Education for their commitment to sustainability for their schools. We are proud to be their partner in clean energy and are excited for Groton to start benefiting from their new solar systems,” said Mackey Dykes, vice president of financing programs at the Green Bank.

“We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to design and build projects at Groton Middle School and Mystic River Magnet,” said Will Herchel, CEO of Verogy.  “These arrays not only reflect Groton’s commitment to sustainability, but also offer a real-world example of environmental stewardship for Groton students. By harnessing solar energy, Groton’s leaders are lighting the path to a greener tomorrow, empowering their community with clean, cost-effective renewable energy solutions.”