Hard work by Amity Global Warming Club Pays Off

June 13, 2010 – Woodbridge, CT.

Hard work by the Amity Global Warming club has finally paid off. The 4 KW solar photovoltaic system is in place and about to start generating power. Students will be able to see how much energy is generated through a web site that will monitor the collectors’ performance.

Photo by Jonathan Gorham © Green Media Ventures June 2010

For more than three years students at Amity Regional High School worked with the Clean Energy Task Forces in Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge to sign up residents for CT Clean Energy Options. Mike Okrent, chair of the Bethany Clean Energy Task Force facilitated the pooling of sign ups from the three towns in order to win solar electric panels for this regional high school. In fact, Amity Regional High School is the first and only regional high school in the state so far to win renewable energy solar arrays.

Bethany Clean Energy Task Force chair, Mike Okrent is thrilled that there are now photovoltaic arrays in public locations in both towns. Bethany has installations on two municipal buildings thanks to the CT Clean Energy Options program. “We want to thank the school administrators and Amity Board of Education for their help in getting through the legal and physical issues.”

The Connecticut Clean Energy Communities Program is a Connecticut Clean Energy Fund program that provides Connecticut communities an opportunity to support clean renewable energy and earn free clean energy systems.

Orange Clean Energy Chair, Ron Novick was equally pleased: “It’s great to see our youth take an active role in thinking globally and acting locally to make their school and community a better place. The oil spill disaster in the Gulf should serve as a wake up call that more clean energy is needed to reduce our oil addiction.”

In 2009 the Amity Global Warming Club won the Governors Climate Change Leadership award for its outstanding work to bring energy awareness to the Amity tri-town region. Co-Presidents of the club and graduating seniors, Laura van Dyck and Yuqi Zhang are happy that they will be leaving a legacy for their school.

The club’s Founder, Laura van Dyck said at the ribbon cutting ceremony on June 14, 2010: “We are all so grateful to the school and the three towns for being so supportive of our aspirations. We couldn't have achieved any of this without the generosity of the community.”

The towns of Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge are no strangers to collaboration. In years past, the towns have worked together to run energy contests, put on Earth Day celebrations and help one another achieve their missions. Last year they offered a unique rebate of $25 off the Home Energy Solutions service, an analysis and retrofit program run by the CT Clean Energy Fund to help homeowners save money and energy. See: www.hesprogram.com .

The savings from the HES program will offset the additional cost homeowner incur when purchasing 100% renewable energy from the Clean Energy Options program, the source of the funding for the solar collectors on Amity Regional High School. Signing up for CT Clean Energy Options helps the towns win additional solar photovoltaic arrays to save money and help the state have a lower environmental footprint.

The solar photovoltaic arrays were installed by Ross Solar from Brookfield, CT. Owner Jason Ross has installed over one hundred and sixty PV systems over the past five years. This is the company’s fifth school installation in the state. See: www.rosssolargroup.com

At the ceremony, Jason Ross stated: “Ross Solar Group, LLC is pleased to have been chosen for this installation. I would like to thank the students, parents, clean energy committees, and CT Innovations along with CT Clean Energy Fund for seeing this project through to completion. All of us at Ross Solar Group, LLC look forward to supplying the school, and towns with future photovoltaic systems.”

For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Gorham, Chair, Woodbridge Clean Energy Task Force, 203.376.2871 jon@greenmediaventures.com
Mike Okrent, Chair, Bethany Clean energy Task Force, 203.393.2662 mokrent@comcast.net
Ron Novick, Chair, Orange Clean Energy Task Force, 203.915.5423 ronnovick@optonline.net