Greenskies to Build 217-kilowatt System in Middletown

Press Release | Middletown, CT
April 24, 2017

Greenskies Renewable Energy has signed a contract with the city of Middletown to build a 217-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system on a parcel of city property adjacent to the Higby/Bacon Water Treatment Plant.

The ground-mounted solar system will consist of 714 solar photovoltaic panels and seven inverters, electronic devices that convert electrical power from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).

The system will save the city about $14,000 per year in annual electrical costs, said Middletown Energy Coordinator, Michael Harris. It will displace about 272,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of utility-generated electricity with clean, renewable energy, avoiding some 531 pounds of carbon dioxide, 109 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 27 pounds of sulfuric oxide emissions annually, based on Connecticut’s current mix of electricity generation, Harris said.

Greenskies and the city have entered a 20-year power purchase agreement, or PPA, under which Greenskies will design, engineer, construct, maintain and own the new solar array at no cost to the city. The company will then sell the power produced at the site back to the city at a fixed and significantly discounted rate for the length of the agreement.

“This project offers a model for the city of Middletown in which we can fix our delivered electricity unit costs at a substantially reduced rate for the next 20 years,” said Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew. “We think applying this model across all city and Board of Education buildings is an important and attractive option to pursue."

Construction on the project is scheduled to begin this spring. The system is expected to be operational by the end of the summer.

“We have completed several successful solar projects here in our home city and look forward to working with Mayor Drew and city officials on yet another project that will benefit the citizens and taxpayers of Middletown,” said Will Herchel, Greenskies’ president.

Based in Middletown, Greenskies is a nine-year-old company that designs, builds and maintains solar photovoltaic systems for commercial and industrial clients, municipalities and government agencies, educational institutions and utilities throughout the United States.