Con Edison is setting a solar example for customers at its landmark office tower in Manhattan. In cooperation with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), among others, the utility is encouraging customers to consider using the sun for their electricity generation needs by installing its own solar array.
“Our customers are discovering that they can use the power of the sun to cut their electric bills and help ensure a safe, sustainable future for New Yorkers,” said John McAvoy, Con Edison’s president and CEO. “We wanted to share our customers’ experience by installing solar panels on our building. We’re reducing our own electric bills, and helping the environment too.”
The utility has installed more than 200 panels atop a 19th-story roof at 4 Irving Place to generate 40 kW of renewable energy or enough to light two floors at the headquarters. The project, made possible by a DOE grant as part of smart grid stimulus funds, will save Con Edison ratepayers about $7,000 a year in electricity costs.
The amount of solar production in the region has quadrupled in three years, as Con Edison and its partners have encouraged New Yorkers to consider the sun as a source of electricity for their homes and businesses. To date, Con Edison customers in New York City and Westchester County have installed 2,000 solar projects, generating nearly 40 MW to power their homes or businesses.
Source: Fierceenergy.com
