>Ridgewood school district gives green light for solar panel installation
Thursday, May 12, 2011
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY MAY 12, 2011, 10:58 AM
BY KELLY EBBELS
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Staff Writer
Racks of solar panels will soon adorn the roofs of eight of the 10 schools across Ridgewood. The installation will offset the district’s energy consumption with renewable energy by considerable degrees at no extra cost.
The district is on the verge of signing a 15-year contract with Verterra Renewable Energy Group, which will be responsible for the multi-million dollar costs and insurance for the solar panels. In return, the district will pay for the energy generated by the panels at a rate of 9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) – far less than the rates Ridgewood currently pays, which range between 13 and 17 cents per kWh.
