Politics & Government

So Long Solar, Hello Light Harvesting

Shade puts a spanner in the works for the Town Hall's solar panel project, so the Board of Selectmen entertains natural light harvesting project as an alternative.

The Darien Town Hall won’t be seeing solar panels any time soon, but the building is still due for an energy efficient makeover. The better part of an $80,000 state grant will bring natural light harvesting into town hall offices, and the balance will fund LEDs at the Noroton Heights Rail Station.

In late October, tentative plans for a photovoltaic solar power system at the Town Hall prompted then First Selectwoman Evonne Klein to apply for the State’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant.

The grant comes from the Municipal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program, which appropriates the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to issue grants to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In turn, states must distribute a minimum of 60 percent of that money to small towns like Darien that are not otherwise eligible to receive grants directly from the DOE.

Connecticut received $9,593,500 and will dole out 90 percent of those funds among 143 state municipalities, each town receiving a base grant of $25,000 and an additional amount determined by population. Darien is eligible for $83,624 in reimbursement funding for energy efficient Town Hall projects; the development of such “green” projects on government buildings is one of many “acceptable” uses of the grant money.

When news of the grant was brought to the table in late October, the Board of Selectmen considered using the funds to install solar panels to a portion of the Town Hall roof that was already slated for renovation. “Going solar” is an undertaking that would eventually prove economical but has a price tag of nearly $400,000. The grant would have significantly reduced that cost; but Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff has given the solar project the red light.

“The roof is too low and obscured by shade to generate anything efficient,” said Kilduff at the Nov. 17 Board of Selectmen meeting. “Solar is not dead; it just needs a new roof.”

While the board may revisit solar in the future, the State is still willing to reimburse $80,000 worth of energy efficient projects at present. The new plan is this: natural light harvesting. Simply put, such a system maximizes the use of available daylight by automatically adjusting indoor ballasts (fluorescent lights). Fitting the whole building with dimmable ballasts would cost less than $80,000 and will deliver a payback in tow years time said Kilduff.

“It’s a positive reduction in operating expenses and an opportunity to leverage rebates from CL&P,” said Kilduff, who added that the town could see a $25,000 check from Connecticut Light and Power for their green initiative.

The remainder of the state grant will go towards the installation of LEDs at the Noroton Heights Rail Station, Kilduff said. Light Emitting Diodes—LEDs—use a fraction of the energy to produce the same amount of lights as an incandescent bulb, and subsequently cost very little to operate.

Research into the light harvesting opportunities is underway, Kilduff said. The State has extended the grant deadline to Nov. 19, and if all goes as planned, residents can plan on attending Town Hall meetings under energy efficient dimmable lights in the New Year.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here