A solar installation is up and running and wind is on the way

By Veronica Burns
Last month, Northwestern Regional 7 School in Winsted took a big step into the future. The school’s electrical power system was shut down, and power, generated from more than 2,000 solar panels installed on the high school roof, was started up. “Every new phase is exciting,” says Superintendent of Schools Clinton Montgomery. “We are the biggest facility in the area to provide examples of this technology to students, and the students are responding. They have the energy and the stamina to take it all in their stride.”
And they will have even more to take in stride this coming year. As it turns out, the installation of the solar panels is only the beginning for the school in its pursuit of energy efficiency. Recently, the Barkhamsted Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved Northwestern’s application to install a wind turbine on the grounds of the school. (Northwestern’s boundaries straddle both Winsted and Barkhamsted). The wind project now goes back to the school’s Board of Education for final approval. Once granted, work can begin and the hope is that the turbine will be in operation by next summer.

An ornamental silo? This is the wind turbine that will be installed at Northwestern Regional 7 next year.

Optiwind, a Torrington-based company, will construct the Compact Wind Acceleration Turbine (CWAT). The CWAT300 is a 300-kilowatt turbine featuring 12 fans, each containing five blades, which stands slightly less than 200 feet high and 93 feet wide. “Barkhamsted’s officials were very positive towards the project,” says Montgomery, “not only supportive but also helpful.”
The school has not spent any money on the solar project, says Montgomery, adding that no bonding was involved and no tax dollars were used. Instead, the school obtained a grant of $1.7 million from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. Then, MP2 Capital, a California company and owner of the panels, drafted a power purchase agreement, which allowed Northwestern to proceed without any upfront capital expenditure. MP2 hired groSolar, a Vermont company, as the solar project’s main contractor.
Montgomery says however, that saving money was never the main goal. “At the time we made the decision, there was no recession. Now that has changed. We were more concerned with the issue of clean energy and educational reasons.” The savings will nonetheless be welcome. “Over the first year, I hope to see savings of between $20,000 to $30,000,” he says, “and then increasing after that.” Any stored electricity goes back to the grid. “The agreement allows us to buy back at a discounted rate,” says Montgomery.
Trying for a triad of clean energy technologies, Northwestern also plans to apply for a grant in January for a geothermal installation. All these endeavors complement the school curriculum’s emphasis on green science. The school formed a “Green Team” in 2008 and recently hired a new part-time environmental science teacher. More collaboration between the school and neighboring Northwestern Connecticut Community College is also envisioned. “We want to be as free as possible from non-renewable energy,” says Montgomery. “We plan to make this campus as green as we can and use this technology for the education of our students.”

Photo Courtesy of Optiwind