Press release from Town of Branford

The Town of Branford is excited to announce that two elementary schools—Mary R. Tisko and Mary T. Murphy—are now capturing the energy of the sun to produce electricity for a estimated cost savings of more than $248,000 over the next 20 years. Branford Public Schools consume approximately two-thirds of the town’s annual energy usage.

The Town of Branford, working with the Connecticut Green Bank, used a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that enables consumers to readily switch to solar via a turn-key operation. An electronic dashboard connected to the system will be available for students to access, view, and learn about energy production in real time.

"We're happy that, after pandemic-related supply chain delays, our two solar installations are finally up and running. I plan to work with my team to find ways to build curriculum connections for our students to take advantage of the many science and climate-related learning opportunities this project provides,“ said Dr. Christopher Tranberg, Branford Superintendent of Schools.

The two elementary schools were able to go solar using the Green Bank’s Solar Municipal Assistance Program (MAP), which provides technical support to help municipalities develop solar projects on their buildings. The Green Bank also provides financing for the solar systems through a PPA, which allows the municipality to access solar with no upfront installation costs, no new debt to incur, and no operations and maintenance costs. The two new systems were installed by Greenskies Clean Focus.

“We are excited that these systems will not only help Branford save on their energy costs, but will serve as educational tools for staff, students, and their families to learn about the benefits of solar energy,” said Mackey Dykes, vice president of Financing Programs at the Green Bank.

First Selectman James Cosgrove noted that the project aligns with the town’s goals and initiatives to use renewable energy to save on energy costs.

“The Town of Branford continually looks for cost effective opportunities to make our facilities greener and more resilient,” said Cosgrove.

Other projects completed by the Town of Branford include solar panels at Branford Fire Headquarters (also site to a geothermal energy project), Branford Transfer Station, Branford High School, and a 4.3-acre solar farm located at Tabor Drive that supplies energy to eight town-owned facilities.

Reporter’s Note: The solar farm has been operational since 2018, following a power purchase agreement under which the town provided a portion of Tabor property land as the site for Tesla to construct, operate, and maintain the system and sell the electricity produced to the town at a lower rate than otherwise available. There was no financial investment from the Town. In its first year of operation, the system generated 1.24 million-kilowatt hours of electricity (an average of about 3400 kWh/day), enough energy to power some 125 homes for a year.