Westover Installs New Systems

Westover School is going green by installing solar roof panels on three buildings and by converting the powerhouse to the new, efficient technology of natural gas co-generation.

This summer, the school embarked on the series of environmentally friendly projects which are designed to save energy costs.

The first phase of the projects is currently underway, and 8,800 square-feet of solar panels on the roof of the Performing Arts Center will soon be hooked up to the school's power grid to begin generating electricity.

The 2001 Company in Waterbury installed the panels at no cost to the school. In a 20-year lease agreement with 2001 Company, the school will purchase the solar-generated electricity from the company at a guaranteed rate, which will be five percent less than that charged by Connecticut Light and Power.

"It's a great opportunity to demonstrate solar power to our students and it is a win-win situation for the school," noted Steve Ladd, Westover's business manager.

"Another energy-saving benefit of the project was the addition of roof insulation and a new roof membrane that were installed by 2001 Company as part of the project.

The more heavily insulated roof is expected to save 2,500 gallons of heating oil a year," Mr. Ladd noted. According to Mr. Ladd, the panels will produce about one third of the Performing Art Center's electricity needs.

In contrast with earlier rigid solar panels, these panels are only 1/8 inch thick and are designed to extract maximum energy in often-cloudy New England weather. The work was underwritten by funding from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

The second phase will include the installation of solar panels on the south-facing roofs of the Fuller Athletic Center and the main building.

When these projects are completed, Mr. Ladd estimates they will provide 25 percent of the school's annual requirement for electricity.

Students in the Women in Science and Engineering elective, alternative energy engineering, were able to learn more about alternative energy when they recently took a field trip to 2001 Company and saw the solar roof panels firsthand.

Another project that will save energy costs is the conversion of Westover's powerhouse from an oil energy source to a natural gas co-generation system.

The work of bringing underground gas pipes to the school began in November and it is hoped that the school's conversion to gas will take place in January, 2009.

The school is participating in an incentive program sponsored by Connecticut Light and Power and Yankee Gas. Cogeneration equipment, including a huge gas powered electricity-producing generator, has been purchased as part of the agreement.

Because the system also captures heat that is generated, domestic hot water and heat for the Fuller Athletic Center will essentially be free to the School.

Conversion to gas will eliminate the need to burn 85,000 gallons of oil a year. Mr. Ladd also noted that burning gas rather than oil will reduce carbon pollution by 30 percent.