Today’s rain has been a welcome relief from the heat, but here in New England temperatures soared into the high 90’s for several days in a row last week. As outside temperatures rise, so does the demand for power. Fans and air conditioners are running 24 hours a day in an effort to keep cool, and that creates increased demand for power that historically comes from increased amounts of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas that pump out CO2 into the atmosphere.
In just one day this past week, gas and oil pumped out upwards of 150 metric tons of CO2 per hour in New England (Source: ISO New England).
Creating more power from renewable, non-polluting sources like solar is a better model for the future. The community solar arrays that Norwich Solar has installed over the past 10 years have a direct impact offsetting the CO2 and other emissions that are driving climate change and fueling these unprecedented heat waves.
It’s estimated that on a single July day, just one of our 500 kW community solar arrays produces enough electricity to power the average home for approximately five (5) months, including the air conditioners and fans that keep us comfortable. In terms of CO2 emissions, that translates to a reduction in pollution that is the equivalent of 3.1 metric tons of CO2 or taking your car off the road for eight (8) months! And by generating power during the hottest times of the day, solar reduces the load on local electric grids, helping communities to “beat the peak”.
Norwich Solar has installed close to a hundred (~100) of these community solar arrays throughout VT, NH & ME, with many more in development stages and scheduled to come online in the coming years. Those installations combined have, on average, powered the equivalent of 9,500 homes per year, helping folks keep cool on days like these.
Local power has a global impact!
These long hot summer days are a perfect reminder of why Norwich Solar does what it does. Community-based power has a positive impact directly benefiting the consumers and their region, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering our carbon dioxide emissions which benefits everyone.