Northwestern solar power system up and running

WINSTED — After months of green engineering and construction work, Northwestern Regional High School’s solar energy system is online and producing electricity that is now being used by the district’s power grid.

The project, which is managed by the Vermont-based GrowSolar, involved the installation of 3,000 individual solar panels on the district building’s roof.

The system generates an average of 450 kilowatts per hour of electricity. The energy produced by the panels is expected to account for about one-third of the district’s electricity needs.

Superintendent of Schools Clint Montgomery told The Journal Monday that although the school is now using electricity produced by the system on a daily basis, the project has not yet received the “final blessing� from GrowSolar engineers.

“We’re still in test mode,� Montgomery said, adding that the district hopes to hold an official kick-off for the solar energy program in the next few weeks.

The celebration is expected to include the unveiling of a special television screen located near the school’s entrance that will monitor and display system information and statistics 24 hours a day.

In addition, Montgomery said a Web site that will provide access to similar information will soon be online as well.

“They are just beginning to get that together,� he said of the site.

School officials had hoped to have the panels providing electricity directly to the campus grid by the end of December.

But a Dec. 29 wind storm damaged 22 solar panels when a strong gust in excess of 50 mph ripped through a group that had not yet been bolted into the brackets. The project was delayed briefly to allow the damaged panels to be replaced.

To help purchase the system, the administration applied for and received a state Clean Energy Fund grant of $1.7 million, about half the cost of the project. The district will fund the remaining amount, and GrowSolar will continue to manage and maintain the system.

In addition to harnessing the power of the sun, a wind turbine has been proposed for the Region 7 campus by Torrington-based Optiwind. Montgomery said he hopes to receive a grant to help fund a geothermal energy system for the campus, as well.

If all three renewable energy sources were to come online — solar, wind and geothermal — the district would be powered almost entirely by green science.

Also, the high school is looking to enter into a partnership with Northwestern Connecticut Community College to develop a joint green work force educational program and build a green science lab on campus.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less