Mayor De Blasio Unveils Plan For Solar Panels On Two Dozen School Rooftops

Solar panels installed on rooftop of Kennedy High School in the Bronx (Credit: Sonia Rincon/1010 WINS)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — New York City is making a major investment in solar energy at public schools, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

As 1010 WINS’ Sonia Rincon reported, there are now rows of glistening solar panels on the rooftops of the Kennedy High School campus in the Bronx.

“They’re not only something great for the environment. For the school, they also use the panels as part of the science classes to teach our young people about the future of energy,” de Blasio said.

The solar installations will include dashboards and web portals to allow students to track what the systems are generating and the amount of emissions that have been offset, WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb reported.

The mayor said solar panels will soon be installed at a total of 24 schools around the boroughs. The $28 million investment is part of the city’s green buildings plan.

Officials expect the solar panels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,800 metric tons a year — the equivalent of taking about 600 cars off the road.

Nine schools already have solar panels, and so do 19 other city buildings like fire houses, Rincon reported.

The city plans to install new solar panels at about 300 city-owned buildings over the next 10 years, beginning with the 24 schools.

De Blasio said the climate protests and United Nations summit held in New York City made last week an important one.

“A week we’re going to look back on, not only in New York City but around the globe, as having been a turning point,” he said.

The mayor added that his plan to reduce greenhouse gases in the city by 80 percent by 2050, also announced last week, is a matter of survival.

Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/29/mayor-de-blasio-unveils-plan-for-solar-panels-on-two-dozen-school-rooftops/