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ORDER OF THE NEW HAVEN BOARD OF ALDERS AUTHORIZING SOLAR LEASE AGREEMENTS.
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WHEREAS, in 2019, the City of New Haven formally recognized the urgency of the climate crisis and adopted a Climate Emergency Order;
WHEREAS, the City of New Haven is committed to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to reduce energy costs and protect the environment;
WHEREAS, the State of Connecticut in Public Act 19-35 amended the process for auctioning Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) through the Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (NRES) program to facilitate the financing of solar projects;
WHEREAS, various city buildings and sites have been identified as potential candidates for solar arrays and parking canopies, including the Career High School parking lot, the Wilbur Cross parking lot, and the city's capped landfill;
WHEREAS, the solar lease agreements can generate revenue to support municipal services;
WHEREAS, the solar lease agreements for solar parking canopies at city high schools are projected to generate over $100,000 annually in revenue;
WHEREAS the solar lease agreement for the first phase of the city landfill array is currently generating $72,000 annually in revenue and the second phase of the city landfill solar array is in development;
WHEREAS, distributed generation systems such as solar arrays require separate interconnection agreements with the local electrical distribution company to operate;
WHEREAS, the City of New Haven Energy Committee has been previously empowered by the Board of Alders to make specific recommendations regarding energy purchases; and
WHEREAS, the City of New Haven Energy Committee includes aldermanic representation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED by the Board of Alders of the City of New Haven that the Mayor is authorized and empowered to enter into multi-year power purchase and lease agreements for city-owned facilities or sites (including Board of Education and Parks Department facility sites) s...
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