6 days Ago
STOCKBRIDGE — Berkshire Botanical Garden has taken a significant step toward sustainability with the installation of a state-of-the-art solar panel array. The new system, which includes 102 solar panels on the roof of BBG’s Education Building, will go online in the coming weeks. The $121,000 project was paid for through a generous $45,132 matching grant from Tern Foundation’s TernSOLAR Challenge Grant Program.
The Botanical Garden raised $45,132 from individual donations. The remainder of the project costs will be offset through a 30 percent IRS credit. A utility interconnection agreement with utility provider National Grid will allow any excess electrical production to offset electrical use throughout the grounds and buildings.
Once the panels go online, they will generate power to offset more than 67 percent of the organizations’s current electricity use, in a carbon neutral way. The organization will realize about $13,000 in annual savings, at current electricity prices..
