Solar Projects Installed At 3 West Haven Schools

WEST HAVEN, CT — Solar projects were recently completed at three West Haven schools, officials from Hartford-based solar energy developer Verogy announced.

The 1,888 panels comprising West Haven’s three projects will produce approximately 969,685 kilowatt hours of Class I renewable energy in their first year, according to officials.

The city and Verogy entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that “makes it possible for West Haven to purchase electricity at a significantly discounted rate,” officials wrote in a news release. “The PPA locks in this lower rate so that as electricity costs rise in the future, West Haven will continue to pay a reduced amount for electricity for the 25-year term of the agreement.

“The project will save taxpayers a combined average of $118,800 annually for the 25-year term, and the renewable energy produced will offset the equivalent of 685 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.”

The solar projects were installed at Carrigan Intermediate School, Bailey Middle School and the former Anna V. Molloy School.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with Verogy and the work they’ve done to install solar energy systems at three of our schools, furthering West Haven’s goal of reducing our carbon footprint,” West Haven Superintendent Neil Cavallaro said in a statement. “In addition to benefitting the environment, going green also reduces taxpayer costs, and is a great lesson for future generations attending our schools.”

Details for the three projects, via Verogy, are below:

Carrigan Intermediate School

• 360 kilowatt DC rooftop solar array consisting of 800 modules
• Solar array will save taxpayers an average of $52,000 dollars annually in energy expenses over the contract term.

Bailey Middle School

• 360 kilowatt DC rooftop solar array consisting of 800 modules
• Solar array will save taxpayers an average of $52,000 dollars annually in energy expenses over the contract term.

Former Anna V. Molloy School

• 115 kilowatt DC rooftop solar array consisting of 288 modules
• Solar array will save taxpayers an average of $14,800 dollars annually in energy expenses over the contract term.

“Our West Haven projects not only help in the fight against climate change, but they also deliver renewable power at a reduced cost to West Haven,” said William Herchel, co-founder and CEO of Verogy. “We appreciate this unique opportunity to bring clean energy to West Haven.”

Verogy’s proposal for the three solar projects was selected through a Request for Proposals process held in March 2020 by the City of West Haven’s energy consultant, Titan Energy New England.

“The City of West Haven and Titan Energy have worked closely together for many years to manage the City’s energy costs and lighting upgrades,” said Adam Teff, General Manager of Titan Energy’s generation division, TitanGen. “We view our solar procurement efforts as a natural extension of our mandate to keep electricity costs low and predictable over the long term.”