The Town of Newtown, located in Connecticut, will soon be the home of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) project. The city’s waste water treatment facility (Newton Facility) is installing a 95 kilowatt (kW) solar system using technology developed by OPEL Solar International. The project received a $320,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) to help cover the cost for the solar farm, and OPEL Solar was selected through a competitive public bid process with the Town of Newtown.
The solar project includes OPEL Solar’s TF-800 single axis trackers along with PV panels manufactured in the U.S. by Grape Solar, Inc. According to OPEL Solar, their single axis trackers allow for higher energy production for each PV panel. This translates to less cost per kWh than conventional fixed-panel solar systems. It is estimated that for the Newtown Facility, the OPEL Solar tracker system will increase the project’s energy production approximately 28 percent. The flexibility in design of the OPEL Solar tracker product line allows it to be matched with any type of solar panel technology, providing greater efficiency and a competitive edge for panel vendors and as well greater layout flexibility for integrators and engineering firms.
“We are excited that the Town of Newtown selected our advanced trackers for this critical municipally-owned facility, and we are proud of the fact that this installation serves to validate our decision to pursue the municipal market in order to benefit the public with clean solar energy,” said Leon M. Pierhal, CEO of OPEL Solar. “It pleases OPEL to know that the TF800 trackers contributed positively to the Town’s receipt of this significant grant award from the State of Connecticut. We believe the increased energy output from our trackers provides a great match to other facilities similar to Newtown’s waste water treatment plant.”
E. Patricia Llodra, First Selectman of the Town of Newtown, added, “Newtown’s evaluation process was greatly simplified by OPEL Solar offering the lowest cost option, the best energy production and the most advanced solar technology of all the bids received for this installation. This is a leading edge project for Newtown in our continuing efforts to move our Town toward greener options and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.”