Tolland Edges Closer to Earning a Solar Energy System

Tolland is close to qualifying for an environmentally friendly energy source, courtesy of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, thanks to the efforts of the Energy Task Force. 

According to task force member Letty Naigles, Tolland is only a few signatures away from earning a solar energy system as a part of the Connecticut Clean Energy Community program.

“We’re so close,” she said. “We just need 21 more individuals to sign up.”

Naigles said that the sign ups are the final step in the program’s process. The different steps earn points for Tolland, which was at 179 points as of last week.

Naigles said that the town signed up for the Connecticut Clean Energy Community in 2010 and has completed the first step, pledging to designate 20 percent of the 2011 municipal electrical bill to renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar energy, etc.

Renewable energy sources such as the CNC Software geothermal system and solar voltaic panels, as well as around 150 individual household pledges to support clean energy have pushed the Tolland close to winning the solar energy system.

Naigles is hoping that residents will sign up at the Energy Task Force booth this Saturday at the Celebrate Tolland event. According to the Connecticut Clean Energy Options Web site, a household would pay an approximate $4.50 a month in addition to the normal bill, if pledging at 50 percent, and an additional $9 for a 100 percent pledge.

“It’s like a latte a month,” Naigles said of the household expense for pledging.

If Tolland reaches the 200-point benchmark, the 2-kilowatt solar energy system will be installed at a public building to benefit all of the residents. Naigles said that the location has not been selected, but that the solar energy system will benefit the town environmentally and financially.

“To the extent that we can generate a lot of electricity from solar panels, that will lower the electrical costs of whatever building it goes on,” she said. “That saves the town money. Electricity is expensive.”

Naigles added that the benefits of the program don’t stop with one installation, but can continue indefinitely.

“If every single household signed up, just think of how many solar arrays that we could get,” she said. “It’s a way of thinking long term.”

For more information or to make a pledge, stop by , taking place on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tolland High School or visit the Connecticut Clean Energy Community Web site.