The Connecticut Clean Energy Investment Committee has approved a grant of $128,100 to help defray costs of installing a 27.72 kW DC solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Planet Self Storage facility located in Newington, Conn.
Storage Investment Management Inc., which owns Planet Self Storage, has hired Ascendant Energy Company Inc. of Rockland, Maine, to design the solar array and serve as general contractor for the project, according to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF).
Consisting of 168 solar panels, the PV system will supply about 30% of the total electrical needs for Planet Self Storage. CCEF adds that this installation represents the first real example of a ground-mounted PV system in Connecticut in a commercial application.
‘Ground-mounted systems hold great potential for clean energy generation in Connecticut,’ says Lise Dondy, president of CCEF. ‘The output from these systems can be maximized because the panels can be installed at an optimum angle and orientation – which is not always possible with roof-mounted systems.’
