The Town of West Hartford and SmartPower will hold an information session on Feb. 6, 2024.

Submitted

The Town of West Hartford is partnering with SmartPower, a leading non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean energy and energy efficiency, to co-host a special “Solar+Storage” Info Session on Feb. 6, 2024, in Room 400 at the Town Hall.

The presentation will explain how a home battery system can be paired with a new or existing residential solar array to provide clean, quiet power at night, especially during a power outage, and how various financial resources can be accessed.

Members of the public are invited to a 6:30 p.m. presentation by Bob Wall, Vice President of SmartPower. More details can be found at https://powersmartwesthartford.wee.green

PowerSmart West Hartford is a special 20-week community outreach campaign that is funded by a grant from the US Department of Energy and features a team including Yale School of the Environment, New York University – Stern School of Business, and SmartPower. The program is designed to present local residents with the various opportunities and incentives available to them to own solar and battery energy storage systems, which allow residents to convert sunlight into electrical energy and store that energy in a battery for use at a later time. The “Energy Storage Solutions” solar+storage combination helps residents speed the transition away from fossil fuels. In addition, program participants can sell their excess stored energy to Eversource and help make the grid cleaner during critical “peak demand” periods.

“West Hartford is committed to helping residents to make smart energy choices,” said Mayor Shari Cantor. “We’re pleased to deliver critical information and resources to help accelerate the transition to a clean energy future with solar plus energy storage in our homes.”

West Hartford is among the first dozen communities to launch a PowerSmart campaign in Connecticut. Over the years, the Town has been a sustainability leader in many ways including:

• Earning a Silver certification with the Sustainable CT program;
• Conducting Solarize CT Programs;
• Completing a HeatSmart Campaign
• Initiating a food waste diversion pilot program
• Adopting a Clean Energy Plan

Three different incentives make battery storage systems an attractive investment opportunity. First, homeowners who enroll in the Energy Storage Solutions program can get a generous upfront rebate incentive. (Residents who live in areas that are prone to power outages and lower-income residents may qualify for additional incentives.)  Second, they get a 30% federal income tax credit, per the Inflation Reduction Act, for the net cost of the solar panels and/or battery system that they have installed. Finally, they will get payments from Eversource for agreeing to have their batteries partially drawn down during the summer months and for a handful of days during the winter. Eversource has safeguards in place so that draw-downs are suspended in the event of a potential grid power outage.

Homeowners who purchase a battery system can choose not to participate in the Energy Storage Solutions program. By doing so, they would forego the state incentives but would be free to use their stored power however they see fit.

“There’s no doubt that battery storage ‘saves the day’ – both literally and figuratively,” concluded SmartPower president Brian F. Keane. “So, let’s get PowerSmart!”

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