A Connecticut continuing care retirement community recently broke ground on a solar installation that is projected to supply 17% of the community’s annual electricity at an estimated savings of $7.6 million over the life of the project.
Meadow Ridge’s Solar Committee, led by a 90-year-old resident, first proposed the project to reduce the community’s carbon footprint. The project is projected to offset 627 metric tons of carbon annually.
Committee Chair Susan Auslander is “passionate” about the community and bettering the environment for future generations.
“We have had a long interest in bringing solar to Meadow Ridge,” Auslander told McKnight’s Senior Living, adding that the committee wanted to leave a “cleaner, greener” environment for its descendants. “We were waiting for the technology to advance so that we could strike the balance between the financial investment, cost savings and the environmental benefits.”
The project, which recently broke ground in Redding, includes three arrays and was designed by West Hartford-based Verogy. Two arrays will be placed on the top of new carports that will be built as part of the project, with the third to be placed on the roof of Ridge Crest, the CCRC’s sub-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing center. The arrays are expected to be energized later this year and are projected to supply Meadow Ridge with 897,700 kilowatt-hours annually.
The project is being funded by a commercial property-assessed clean energy (C-PACE) loan from the Connecticut Green Bank, zero-emission renewable energy credits through Eversource, and investment tax credits.
The project was recognized this spring by the Connecticut Green Bank at its annual awards as a 2023 C-PACE Outstanding Project.
The solar installation comes on the heels of a $600,000 high-efficiency lighting project, which replaced thousands of light fixtures with high-efficiency LED lights on the Meadow Ridge campus. That project produces an annual savings to the community of over $200,000.
For other communities considering a solar installation, Meadow Ridge recommended consulting with multiple advisors, service providers and developers to understand options, and research incentives offered by local utilities, municipalities and the federal government.
The CCRC also recommended engaging with residents to address their concerns and hopes, and consider a location from all angles to determine the impact on residents and community aesthetics.
“Plan a project that makes holistic sense, in terms of the physical impact on the community, as well as the short- and long-term financial viability of the project,” a Meadow Ridge spokesperson said. “Once completed, the solar arrays will become a permanent — 35-plus years — addition to your community.”
Meadow Ridge is a 136-acre Benchmark Senior Living managed community owned by Redding Life Care LLC, an affiliate of Senior Care Development LLC.
