In an age with high gas prices and energy costs, everyone has to try and make a difference, and TicketNetwork, parent company of TicketNews, is no different, unveiling a new solar power initiative today during a ceremony at the company’s Vernon, CT headquarters.
TicketNetwork showed off 172 solar panels, during the ceremony, that were installed to two south-exposed roofs of their building. The lunchtime event included members of the Connecticut State Legislature and the Department of Environmental Protection.
“The actions taken by TicketNetwork are exactly the ones the DEP advocates,” said Chris Nelson, a member of the Connecticut DEP Climate Change & Energy Group.
The solar panel will be able to create 30kW of power during peak times of the day, and over the year that adds up to roughly 10 percent of the company’s annual power usage, or enough to power four small homes. By reducing the energy consumption, the company estimates that over the life of the system that company will avoid the need for 821,272 pounds of carbon dioxide, 2,492 of sulfur dioxide and 1,517 of nitrous oxide.
“It’s really impressive,” Vernon State Rep. Claire Janowski told TicketNews. “Energy consumption is a huge problem and in the summer there’s not enough. This is a plus.”
The solar panels, the first to be installed at a company in Vernon, are just one of the environmentally proactive projects that have been put place with others including the installation of high efficiency lighting and lighter color roofing, which cools the roof by as much as 10 degrees.
“The solar power installation at our corporate headquarters is a small but important step in the movement toward clean and sustainable energy sources,” said Steve Kobelski, associate vice president of special projects for TicketNetwork. “By combining these panels with the other energy-saving changes we’ve made, TicketNetwork has reduced its carbon footprint by nearly 25%. We’re proud to lead the way as an environmentally-friendly company, and set an example for how other organizations can do the same.”
TicketNetwork received financial assistance from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and tax credits from the government which will help the system pay for itself in five years. Other guests included State Rep. Joan Lewis, Dave Ljungquist from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and Town Administrator of Vernon Christopher Clark.
Watch the video on WFSB.com
