Norwalk committee backs rooftop solar on new high school and South Norwalk elementary, drops carport plan

The Land Use and Building Management Committee of Norwalk City voted to proceed with rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installations for Norwalk High School and South Norwalk Elementary and to begin the bidding and contract-change process required to add the systems to the state-approved construction budgets.

Alan Lowe, head of the Office of Building Management, told the committee the city pursued multiple approaches over two years — private-sector power-purchase agreements, a joint arrangement with the municipal utility (SNEW) and a city-built rooftop system — and found only the rooftop option is financially viable under current utility and incentive structures. "We explored a ground-mounted and carport approach with the utility, but their wholesale rate and limits on third-party generation made a joint venture unsustainable," Lowe said.

Why it matters: Lowe said the…