A giant step for town energy use Small step in energy savings for school

CORNWALL — A year after a solar voltaic system was installed at Cornwall Consolidated School, it has proven to be everything it promised to be: virtually maintenance free and able to supply about 5 percent of the school’s electricity needs.

Of course that’s all an average. Day-to-day, the amount of power produced by the three-panel arrays set up at the east end of the school depends on how much the sun shines. The percentage of power used depends on the daily needs of the school.

“We actually started tracking in April when the website went up,� Principal Robert Vaughan said. “For those nine months we had mostly warmer months and no snow. We are at 6.4 percent of usage as of Nov. 30. It will drop over the winter months, and when our use is highest so 5 percent will probably be the number we’ll end up looking at.�

The system was a reward for Cornwall residents meeting and then exceeding the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s 20 Percent by 2010 initiative. In the four years since the town took on the challenge, 34 percent of its residences and businesses have begun buying some or all of their electricity from renewable sources, despite paying a bit more each month.

In the year since the school’s system went into service, it has generated more than 11,000 kilowatt hours. The tracking puts it into perspective, using comparisons that the average person can better understand. As of last week, the power produced from that 9 kilowatt system was enough to power 308 homes for a day, 86 computers for a year and 77,000 television hours.

The system is the same type installed last month at Town Hall using a federal grant (see related story, this page). Power is not stored, but rather used or sent onto the grid for a credit. While the town expects to meet, and possibly exceed its needs at the town offices, the school’s larger system will only take a bite out of its usage.

But the point here is not so much the estimated $2,000 in annual savings in the school budget, or that the cost of either system will be probably never be recouped.

However, like all those people investing in clean energy by paying a few more dollars each month, this is seen as taking another step toward energy independence. Meanwhile, legislators and government agencies are taking their own steps to combat a bottom-line-only attitude, devising easier ways to seek grant money.

 

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less