BEVERLY — With the solar panels that were built in 1981 on the hill next to the high school, Beverly has one of the oldest examples of renewable energy in the country.
Now it also has one of the newest. Officials gathered on the roof of the new four-story high school last week to celebrate the completion of the solar array there.
Combined with the panels on the hill, the new, 83-kilowatt rooftop array will provide 15 percent of the new building's electrical demands, Mayor Bill Scanlon said.
The roof panels were installed as part of the $81 million high school project and helped contribute to an extra 2 percent, or $1.6 million, in state reimbursement for attaining "green school" status.
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Director Andy Brydges said Beverly has "set the standard" for other school districts with its new energy-efficient building, which opened last year. The agency contributed nearly $500,000 in grants to build the rooftop array and renovate the Greenergy Park hillside panels next door.
"Your school is absolutely beautiful," Brydges said at the ceremony. "It's a tribute to the foresight and the commitment of the town." Scanlon said there are plans to upgrade the Greenergy array from 100 kilowatts to 400 kilowatts. Scanlon said the city will seek a private company that can take advantage of tax breaks available to upgrade the panels, in exchange for the city agreeing to buy the power it generates.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by email at pleighton@salemnews.com.
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