Greenburgh Town Hall Gets Second Solar System
The Town of Greenburgh installed a 68-kilowatt photovoltaic solar energy system on its Town Hall last month.
The installation was made possible by a grant from the Department of Energy, was managed by ECG Engineering and mounted by SunBlue Energy. This was the Town Hall’s second solar photovoltaic installation. The first solar array was a 5.6-kilowatt system installed in 2006.
According to Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, the current system is likely to produce at least 75,018 kilowatt hours annually. “This level of production is expected to save the town $622,128 over a 30-year period,” Feiner said in an email.
Greenburgh is reducing its CO2 emissions by 52.7 metric tons per year by going solar. “This is equivalent to planting 49.9 acres of U.S. forests a year, or taking 11 cars off the road every year, according to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator,” Feiner said.
“When sunlight hits solar panels, particles of light displace electrons which create a direct electrical current. That current passes through an inverter, where it is changed to the alternating current used by buildings. When the town is using more electricity than the solar energy system is producing, it pulls electricity in from the grid. When the system produces more current than the Town Hall can use, the excess gets sent out to the electric grid, and the Town Hall gets credited at the same rate it pays,” Feiner continued.
The system’s production is monitored in real time. Residents are encouraged to view the informational kiosk in the Greenburgh Town Hall lobby.
