April 7, 2004—Connecticut Transit (CTTRANSIT), in partnership with the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) and Select Energy Services, is now generating pollution-free electricity at its Hartford Division at 100 Leibert Road. Connecticut’s largest solar electric system, a 23.1 kilowatt array located on the roof of the maintenance garage at CTTRANSIT, was dedicated in a ceremony on February 3.
The system, put into service in December 2003, was made possible with the support of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which covered approximately 40% of the installation cost. This new solar photovoltaic array was manufactured by PowerLight Corporation and installed by Select Energy Services. The system is comprised of 210 photovoltaic modules covering 3,746 square feet. The solar array generates 23,100 watts of clean electricity, enough to power over 25 homes during the day.
The solar-generated electricity will be used to power the lights in the CTTRANSIT maintenance shop and storage garage, reducing the state-owned transit bus system’s annual utility costs. The project also helps reduce electricity load demand on the power grid during critical summer months.
Over the next 30 years, CTTRANSIT’s deployment of solar power will reduce tons of harmful emissions such as sulfur oxide, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide, all which contribute to smog, acid rain, and global warming. It is estimated that over the 30-year operating life of the system, CTTRANSIT’s solar powered electricity will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 417 tons. These emissions reductions are equivalent to planting 118 acres of trees or not driving over 1 million miles on the roadways of Connecticut, says the organization.
CTTRANSIT is currently undertaking another energy efficiency project with financial assistance provided by Connecticut Light & Power, and engineering/installation from Select Energy Services, to re-circuit its lighting/controls and replace its existing lighting with energy efficient fixtures. Combined with the completed PV project, this project will reportedly reduce CTTRANSIT’s peak energy demand by 147 kW (12% reduction) and realize a 16% energy savings on its electric bills.
CTTRANSIT has also undertaken several other projects recently that utilize new technologies. In June 2003, CTTRANSIT began testing two state-of-the-art hybrid diesel electric buses that reduce energy consumption by over 15%. The company also added a computerized controller to the Hartford facility boiler, which will further reduce heating energy requirements. In addition, CTTRANSIT is researching fuel cell bus technology powered by hydrogen, a clean and renewable fuel.
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2000, has also funded such clean energy projects as: fuel cell installations at South Windsor High School, St. Francis Hospital, Yale Peabody Museum, and New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority, and a solar energy power project at the Salmon Brook Ecology Center, Granby.
For more information about the solar energy project, visit CTTRANSIT.
