The Watertown Boys & Girls Club received a donation of an array of solar panels, which will reduce electricity costs in the short run, and long term will generate revenue for the club.
The solar panels were donated by Peter Glick who teamed up with Rise Up Solar, a Cambridge-based company which helps community-based non-profits gain access to solar panels. The Club will reap the environmental and financial rewards.
Renee Gaudette, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, said the club had been interested in putting up solar panels, but had not found a way to do it.
“We’d been looking into solar for years but cost was a problem because of the up front cost,” Gaudette said. “You can rent them through companies, but there were concerns with maintenance and upkeep.”
In August, crews from SolarBug began to put up the solar panels on the roof of the club on Whites Avenue. The donor, Rise Up Solar, will get some of the benefits from the panels for a few years, Gaudette said, which will help it fund future projects.
“The donor owns the system for the first 10 years, then they transfer it to the Club,” Gaudette said. “Early on, we will have reduced utility costs, but long term we’ll own the system so any power generated will be a source of fundings for the Club.”
The solar array is a 45kW system, which is expected to produce 44,775 kWh in electricity. The system has a 30 year life expectancy. The estimated cash flow generated by the system in the first 10 years is $19,227, and the 30 year cumulative cash flow is projected to be $236,035
The Watertown Boys & Girls Club is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure made it easier to install the panels, because it required shutting down power to the club, Gaudette said. The installation is expected to take about three weeks.
When children and teens return to the club, they will be able to see the impact of the solar panels.
“We will have a Smart TV monitor that will show how much energy the solar panels capture and what the usage is,” Gaudette said.