On Wednesday, Aug. 5, the Block Island Utility District, doing business as Block Island Power Company, celebrated another milestone. The occasion was the “ribbon cutting” for the new rooftop solar system at the BIPCO property. Two solar panels stood in for the ribbon.
BIPCo President Jeffery Wright opened the small, socially distanced, and masked ceremony with many thanks for the contributors to the project. The solar system was a gift from an anonymous donor who has funded the Block Island Solar Initiative, with monies being administered through the Rhode Island Foundation.
Wright noted that since the system went live on July 24, it has been producing an average of 500 kilowatts hours per day. The annual output is expected to be 102,000 kilo-watt hours, enough to power 17 “average Block Island homes,” at 500 kwh per month each. He added that one of the donor’s goals was to reduce the power company’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Barbara MacMullan, Chair of the Utility District Board of Commissioners, also expressed her thanks, adding that the project was one that the Utility District would not have been able to fund on its own, and that it was of “great benefit to
