Ribbon cutting for new solar array is Feb. 20

posted on: 1/28/2019

A public ribbon cutting scheduled next month will showcase two rooftop solar arrays installed on the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and adjacent Dover Indoor Pool. ReVision Energy donated 103 solar panels for the installation, part of a 318-panel rooftop solar array at the museum and pool which share a common electricity meter.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m., at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St.

The event will also feature the unveiling of a mural created by Seacoast Charter School student Sofia Self. The teenager’s art project is intended to spark conversations about the impacts of climate change.

Self’s project was organized by the Dover Rising Waters initiative, a group of community volunteers working to implement the Climate Adaptation Master Plan chapter which was adopted last year by the planning board. Self’s mural, “The City in the Sea”, will be installed on the exterior of the museum building this spring.

The combined 101.7-kilowatt solar array on the museum and pool roofs will generate approximately 120,000 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year and offset more than 126,000 pounds of carbon pollution annually for decades to come. The system is expected to provide roughly 30 percent of the combined electricity needs of the two facilities, although that ratio could rise to 50 percent or more once planned LED lighting and other efficiency upgrades take place. The solar array is projected to save approximately $550,000 in electricity costs long-term.

"The City of Dover has been committed to sustainability initiatives for more than two decades, including renewable energy," said Dover City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. "The solar panel array at the children's museum and indoor pool is a great example of the city's pursuit to boost energy efficiency and to realize significant savings in electricity costs over time."

“We are thrilled to be receiving over 100 donated solar panels as a part of this collaborative program,” said Children’s Museum President Jane Bard. “This project not only aligns with our commitment to being a ‘green champion’ and educating children about ways they can adopt earth-friendly practices, but every dollar saved from energy costs can be invested in helping us meet our mission of engaging families in hands-on discovery.”

The solar energy projects are part of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives launched in 2017. At the time, fifteen municipalities participated in the Energize 360 campaign, a grassroots effort aimed at reducing energy use and transitioning to renewable energy, which also included promises by selected vendors ReVision Energy and Yankee Thermal Imaging to donate energy services as part of a social fund to benefit the communities at large.

Energize 360 eventually prompted 200 families to install 251 clean energy and efficiency projects. The projects resulted in an annual net reduction of one million pounds of carbon pollution. Participants also locked in long-term energy cost savings of more than $12 million and upfront discounts in excess of $150,000.