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July
7, 2010
Sikorsky Gives Solar Power A Try
Sikorsky
Aircraft in Stratford activates 450 photovoltaic solar modules
on the roof of its new engineering building, signaling the helicopter
maker's expanding renewable energy program. egershon@courant.com
Sikorsky Aircraft on Tuesday activated 450 photovoltaic solar
modules on the roof of its new engineering building in Stratford,
a small but visible piece of the helicopter maker's expanding
renewable energy program.
The
solar panels, installed, owned and operated by a contractor, will
generate 106,250 kilowatt hours of electricity — about one-tenth
of 1 percent of Sikorsky's annual need. "This is really what we
think is the start," Sikorsky spokesman Paul Jackson said.
The
company, a division of United Technologies Corp., expects to install
more solar panels on its buildings in Stratford and Bridgeport,
assuming further financial assistance from the state is available.
A more ambitious energy project is also underway. At a cost of
$23 million, Sikorsky is building a co-generation plant at its
Stratford headquaters that will supply 84 percent of the site's
annual electricity need, saving the company more than $6 million
a year.
For
the 450-panel solar project, the state of Connecticut's Clean
Energy Fund provided a grant of $253,515, or about 40 percent
of the contrator's equipment costs, Sikorsky said. The contractor,
New Jersey-based Soltage LLC, made the capital investment; Sikorsky
will buy the electricity generated from the company's Solar PowerStation
at a negotiated, fixed rate for 20 years, Jackson said. The companies
did not disclose financial details.
"This
was an easy decision for us because the environmental and financial
benefits are so compelling," said Sikorsky President Jeffrey P.
Pino. "For the same reasons, we are constructing a co-generation
plant on-site that will power our facility here while reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. These projects demonstrate how environmental
responsibility and sound business management go hand in hand."
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