5,000-Plus Solar Panels Now 'Energized' In Manchester

MANCHESTER, CT — It's official. More than 5,000 solar panels are now online at seven key buildings in Manchester.

On Friday, the partnership between town of Manchester, the local school system and the CT Green Bank and solar developer Greenskies staged a ceremony to commemorate the installation of solar panels at six schools and Manchester's water treatment facility.

More than 5,200 solar panels have been installed at:

• Verplanck Elementary School
• Highland Park School
• Manchester Regional Academy
• Martin Elementary School
• Waddell Elementary School
• Manchester High School
• The Manchester Water Treatment Facility

Construction completion was announced in December and the plan was to have five of the seven systems energized by the end of 2022 with the last two going online in early 2023.

The project put Manchester as one of the first towns to reduce energy costs using the Connecticut Green Bank's Solar MAP. The systems are projected to save the town more than $100,000 annually in energy costs and more than $2.1 million over the term of the power purchase agreements.

The solar projects are made possible by the Connecticut Green Bank's Solar Municipal Assistance Program or MAP. Greenskies was responsible for the installation of the systems.