Martin Kellogg Middle School

Newington’s Martin Kellogg Middle School is soaking up the sun and producing an estimated 192,000 kilowatt hours of clean, solar electricity each year – generated by a 180-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) array installed there in 2009.

Through a creative financing structure known as a power purchase agreement, the school enjoys the benefits of purchasing low-cost solar energy without having to pay for the installation or maintenance of the solar array. Designed and built by Solar Design Associates, the 592-panel array is owned and maintained by MP² Capital, a leading developer, financier and operator of solar projects located throughout North America. The power purchase agreement calls for MP² Capital to sell all of the electricity generated by the system to the Town of Newington for the school’s use for a period of 20 years. This was MP² Capital’s first project in Connecticut.

In a 2009 press release, Lise Dondy, president of CCEF, commented on the school’s CCEF-supported solar installation: “The solar PV installation at Martin Kellogg Middle School will serve as an excellent teaching tool to help educate students about the importance of renewable energy in meeting our future energy needs and protecting the environment. We are pleased to see this school and others in Connecticut taking a leadership role in making the commitment to clean energy in such a significant way.”