By Richard Eldridge
In order to mitigate climate change, it is imperative that our community move to replace electricity that is produced through the burning of fossil fuels. By capturing and using the power of the sun, carbon emissions can be reduced. In our community, the town has installed solar panels at several town facilities and is exploring opportunities to install more. There are many homes that have already installed rooftop panels to harness the energy of the sun. These are steps that have been taken and are moving our country and community towards a goal of becoming 100% carbon neutral.
When driving around our community, you can see that there are many homes with solar panels installed by homeowners who have made the decision to reduce their overall carbon footprint. This is a long term commitment that will reduce their draw from the electrical grid daily, weekly and over the coming decades. They have taken an action that will benefit them and will also help their children and their children’s children. The benefit will be passed on to future generations.
Solar panels can be installed on the roof of a home or business, or as a solar array on the property. When electricity is generated from the solar panels, it will power the home and any excess power generated will be fed into the grid. The extra power generated will be credited to the owner’s account and this credit will be used to offset energy used when the sun isn’t shining.
The cost and benefits of installing solar can be evaluated any time. When a property is in need of a roof replacement, the opportunity to install solar panels should be explored. There are many different solar providers that will evaluate what will be required to install solar panels. There are both state and federal incentives to customers installing solar which will reduce the cost as well. The solar provider will be able to determine what solar incentives are available.
A battery, which is charged by the solar panels to store energy for later use, can also be installed. The battery can send power that will be used during periods when the sun is not shining, further reducing the need for power generated through the burning of carbon based fuel. If power is lost, the home can be powered from the stored energy in the battery.
Pairing a solar installation with an electric vehicle which can be charged from the solar panels off the grid will eliminate the need to purchase a gas for a gas powered car. The electricity used to charge the car will not be generated by fossil fuel powered plants and will also eliminate CO2 being released into the atmosphere.
There are ways to purchase renewable energy that don’t require the installation of solar panels. Shared solar is one option that is available, but is limited in CT. Customers can sign up to receive a share of energy from a clean energy installation. Information explaining how this works can be found on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) website. There are currently 3 sites that have been selected for this program. Contact your elected officials to ask that this program be expanded so that more people can participate.
Did you know that natural gas companies are allowed to charge customers for natural gas lost through leaks? A study done by the Sierra Club in 2016 identified 716 distinct methane leaks over 225 miles of roads in Hartford resulting in 3.6 leaks per mile. In the greater Boston area it is estimated that 90 million dollars are lost to gas leaks. To view the Sierra Club survey, search for “Hartford, Connecticut Mobile Methane Leak Survey”.
Reduction in the overall release of carbon into the atmosphere will aid our community through the following benefits:
- Carbon released into the atmosphere will be reduced by the energy generated from solar.
- The amount of pollution released into the air we breathe will be reduced leading to less pollution and pollution related health issues.
- Local jobs will be created to support the installation of solar infrastructure.
- Energy dollars will not be sent out of state to purchase carbon fuels extracted via fracking and transported via leaky pipelines. This will further reduce the release of methane (natural gas) into the atmosphere.
You should talk to your neighbors who have already installed solar panels. Talk to our town government about moving the town to becoming 100% carbon neutral. Together we can make Glastonbury a community that runs on renewable energy which will improve the overall health of our citizens.
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