Simsbury CT, October 8, 2019 – Today, the Town of Simsbury, in cooperation with Asante Energy and Greenskies Renewable Energy, announced the successful completion of a 220kW rooftop solar array located at the Town’s recreation facility on Old Farms Road. The solar array was constructed–at no cost to the Town–by Asante Energy and will be owned and operated by Greenskies Renewable Energy. The energy will be sold to the Town by Greenskies under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement at a discounted rate to the current electricity tariff. The clean energy facility is expected to generate 86% of the annual electric load at the ice rink providing for an estimated annual saving of over $20,000 per year to the Town.
This project has received great support from the Town’s Board of Selectmen, with First Selectman Eric Wellman stating, “This innovative partnership is a win-win and a great example of how investing in renewable energy is the right thing to do for the planet and for our budget.” Mike Paine, Board of Selectmen member and liaison to the Clean Energy Task Force, added “I am excited to see a great example of a well thought out plan to address a Town facility needs that will give the residents a great long term benefit. Good for us.”
Asante Energy provided the successful low bid under a competitive procurement process that commenced in 2017. Utilizing the State’s “ZREC” program, which employs a competitive bidding process, a significant portion of the costs associated with the construction of the solar array are covered through the State’s program to bring clean, renewable-energy sources onto the grid through Eversource while reducing costs for developers.
“We have found the Northeast to be particularly solar friendly, and Connecticut has been a great example of how to integrate distributed generation in a controlled manner that matches the demand with supply while maintaining tight controls on cost,” said Michael Vance, President of Asante Energy.
Greenskies Renewable Energy partnered with Asante Energy to finance the project and will own and operate the facility throughout its intended 20-year lifespan, with the potential to last up to a full 30 years.
About the Town of Simsbury:
The Town of Simsbury is a picturesque community of approximately 24,000 residents situated in the Northwest corner of Hartford County. In 2013, Connecticut Magazine named Simsbury the fourth best town in Connecticut on their list of top places to live. In 2015, Time magazine ranked Simsbury the 9th best town in which to live in the United States. Simsbury residents have embraced Open Space preservation and have shown a commitment to preserving the natural environment.
About Asante Energy:
Asante Energy was founded in 2014 with a focus on bringing solar and energy storage to businesses in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. To date, they have had a direct hand in the construction of over 100MW of rooftop, ground mount and carport solar projects and are actively developing another 200MW, some of which include energy storage.
About Greenskies Renewable Energy:
Greenskies Renewable Energy, a Clean Focus company, develops, constructs, and maintains clean, renewable-energy projects in the United States. Greenskies ensures that its customized solar solutions operate at peak performance and deliver maximum savings to its clients. Their projects include solar arrays on: Target in Newington, Connecticut; Willard Elementary School in Berlin, Connecticut; and Trumbull High School in Trumbull, Connecticut.
For further information, please contact:
Thomas J. Roy, PE, CEM
Director of Public Works
Town of Simsbury
860.658.3222
James Desantos
Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC
VP of Business Development
860.398.5408
Michael Vance
Asante Energy
President
647.404.4044
