by Shane Henson — June 17, 2011—The City of Waltham has chosen Ameresco, an energy efficiency and renewable energy company, to design, finance, install, own, and operate solar installations on seven schools and five municipal buildings.
By switching to clean, renewable energy, Waltham is expected to save a total of up to $4.5 million in reduced utility costs over the next 20 years. In addition, Ameresco will install LCD panels at each of the schools lobbies along with a special software package that makes rooftop weather and solar PV production data available online for the science classrooms.
The panels are expected to generate approximately 1,850 kW when operational, thus produce more than 2.3 million kWh in the first year. The detailed design process is already underway. Funds in the amount of $630,500 from the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be used to help fund the solar installations on the municipal buildings.
Amerseco says that these two projects should reduce carbon dioxide emissions from New England fossil fuel-fired electric generation plants by 16,457 tons over 20 years.
