Rocky Hill, Conn., July 14, 2008 – Today it was announced that the town of Coventry, Connecticut, has joined a growing list of municipalities in the state to become “Connecticut Clean Energy Communities.” As a result of its commitment to clean energy, Coventry has earned a 2-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array valued at approximately $20,000 from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.
An enthusiastic group of students from Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School took the lead in promoting clean energy and helping Coventry to become a Connecticut Clean Energy Community. Over the course of three years, the students, all of whom were members of the school’s ecology group, promoted clean energy by developing a PowerPoint presentation on the benefits of clean energy to show to residents and members of the Town Council and by urging residents to sign up for CTCleanEnergyOptions.
In February 2008, the students’ persistence paid off when they successfully persuaded town officials to commit to purchasing 20% clean energy for municipal facilities by the year 2010. Soon thereafter, the students helped the town reach the critical milestone of 100 enrollments in the CTCleanEnergyOptions program – one of their primary goals. In addition, this group of young environmental leaders also founded a local grassroots organization known as Raising Environmental Awareness in the Community Today (REACT), an organization that has been meeting and hosting events regularly for the past year.
"This has been a very rewarding experience for my classmates and for me,” said Valerie Stickles, former member of the ecology group at Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School and now a high school sophomore and REACT member. “We all know that we made a difference in the world, and we want to continue making Coventry an environmentally-aware and environmentally-friendly community."
“The Coventry Town Council was impressed with the effort and commitment of the ecology group from Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School and decided it was time to commit to clean energy and urge citizens to make the same choice,” remarked John Elsesser, Coventry town manager.
Linda Campbell, Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School teacher and advisor to the school’s ecology group, added, “Working with these young people has been a deeply enriching experience. Through their determination and commitment to taking care of the environment they helped the town understand the importance of shifting gears toward a cleaner energy policy. Going through this process has helped me realize that positive change can occur right here at home when a small group of students becomes civically active in their community.”
While the Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School students were advocating for clean energy, a home-schooled middle school student was also taking action. Eleven-year-old Colin Carlson gave more than 40 presentations on clean energy and climate change to raise awareness and encourage sign-ups for the clean energy option. An enthusiastic supporter of clean energy, Colin also captured first place in the 2007 Cool It! Climate Change Challenge and was a runner up in this year’s competition.
Lise Dondy, president of CCEF, said, “It is wonderful to see so many young people in a community advocating for clean energy with such passion. Their efforts have truly made a difference.” Dondy added, “Through the town of Coventry’s support of clean energy, it has avoided 476 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to saving more than 49,000 gallons of gas or planting 360 acres of trees each year. The actions of Coventry and other participating communities will benefit Connecticut ratepayers for years to come.”
CCEF provides solar PV systems to Connecticut Clean Energy Communities (CCEC) as an incentive for municipalities and their residents and small businesses to adopt clean energy. When municipalities are successful in meeting the CCEC Program requirements, they qualify to receive an “earned” solar array from CCEF. Coventry earned this designation by successfully completing the three required benchmarks, including:
• Committing to the purchase of 20% clean energy by the year 2010
• Signing up 100 or more of the town’s households and businesses as clean energy customers through the CTCleanEnergyOptionssm program (As of April 30, Coventry had signed up 110 customers.)
• Making a municipal clean energy purchase (Coventry has purchased 212,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy from Sterling Planet for its municipal buildings – a mix of wind, hydro and landfill gas)
Communities with CTCleanEnergyOptions participation levels exceeding 2.5% of households may earn a bonus kilowatt for their arrays. Municipalities may also earn additional kilowatts for every additional 100 local residents or small businesses that enroll in the CTCleanEnergyOptions program.
Municipalities may place their solar PV system on a municipal building that has been deemed acceptable as an installation site by both a solar PV consultant and CCEF. Once installed, the system reduces the municipality’s energy costs by converting sunlight into electricity at that facility and serves as an educational tool for residents. To date, CCEF has provided or committed to provide a total of 174 kW of earned solar PV systems to 34 Connecticut cities and towns.
By participating in the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities Program, cities and towns are sending a strong signal that clean energy is important to all of us. Residents can find more information on the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities Program and other community-based clean energy initiatives at www.ctcleanenergy.com/communities.
About the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF)
CCEF was created by the Connecticut General Assembly and is funded by the electric ratepayers. CCEF’s mission is to promote, develop and invest in clean energy sources for the benefit of Connecticut’s ratepayers in order to strengthen Connecticut’s economy, protect community health, improve the environment, and promote a secure energy supply for the state. CCEF is administered by Connecticut Innovations, a quasi-public authority. For more information on CCEF, please visit www.ctcleanenergy.com.
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