City's First Solar Panel Parking Canopies At 2 NHPS Campuses Underway

The canopies use some 959 solar panels, and will generate an estimated 645,325 kilowatt-hours of power in the first year of operation.

Patch.com | Ellyn Santiago
June 24, 2025

NEW HAVEN, CT — "We deliberately picked the hottest day. to emphasize just how important the sun is."

It may have been deliberate, or not. Doesn't matter, the sun certainly cooperated — its rays aimed at L.W. Beecher Museum Magnet School of Arts and Sciences in Beaver Hills.

Mayor Justin Elicker joked about the heat, which by the time late this morning he and others had joined to announce a new renewable energy source for schools, it had reached 95°F, with a feels-like temp of 101°F.

Elicker and other city leaders were at the Jewel Street school to announce the beginning of construction on two new solar panel parking canopies at New Haven Public Schools — Beecher and Hill Central School. The program expands New Haven's use of renewable energy and lowers energy costs and CO2 emissions, the mayor said.

The solar projects at both schools will collectively use an estimated 959 solar panels and generate an estimated 645,325 kilowatt-hours of power in the first year of operation.

The energy produced by the solar panels will offset roughly 35 percent of the power needs for the school buildings and represent the CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions equivalent of the energy use of nearly 60 homes or 1.1 million miles of driving by an average gasoline-powered vehicle, according to the Mayor's office and New Haven's Office of Climate & Sustainability Executive Director Steven Winter.

It’s estimated that these two projects will save at least $375,000 in energy costs over the estimated 20-year life of the solar panels.

To date, 19 New Haven Public Schools have solar panels installed on their rooftops, but the solar panel parking canopy projects are a first for the school district, and the city, save for Southern Connecticut State University and Albertus Magnus College.

At Beecher, the electric bill runs around $185,000 a year. This project will save $27,000 in the first year.

"That's a big deal," Elicker said.

Elicker also praised, and thanked, the New Haven Board of Alders — "We couldn't do anything without the Alders." — Winter, city engineer Giovanni Zinxxxx, NHPS' office of Energy and Sustainability and North Haven-based Greenskies, the project general contractor, owner, and operator.

Greenskies' vice president Ryan Linares noted that without a team's "creative thinking" and good leadership, a project like this isn't possible.

"It's a groundbreaking project where innovation meets commitment," he said. And then he made a vow. The parking lot canopy solar panels are being constructed over the summer: "I promise to get it done as soon as possible."

The project marks the latest in the city’s ongoing climate and sustainability efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Measures include the electrification of municipal buildings, and encouraging increased adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements among residents, homeowners, and businesses.

"We believe in our role in addressing climate change, and we're following through," Elicker said. "This project is good for the climate, and it saves us a lot of money."

New Haven currently hosts three megawatts of solar energy, with another 2.5 megawatts in development.