55.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Tracking the sun to power the town
Hempstead officials unveil new pair of solar panels
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and a group of 15 government officials, civic leaders and engineers donned sunglasses as they unveiled two “solar trackers” in the back parking lot of the town’s Department of Conservation and Waterways in Lido Beach on Monday.
The trackers are grids of photovoltaic, or solar, panels, supported by large metal poles. They automatically adjust to face the sun as it crosses the sky to maximize solar intake, generating roughly 30 percent more energy than traditional stationary solar panels, according to Murray. The trackers will help power the Conservation and Waterways office.
Murray, a Republican from Levittown, joked that she and the other officials, including Town Clerk Mark Bonilla of Bellmore and Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin of Garden City, had worn sunglasses because the town’s renewable-energy future looked “bright” with the unveiling of the trackers, which drew a collective chuckle from a clutch of reporters.
No doubt, the sunglasses seemed appropriate, as the day was indeed a sunny one –– perfect, officials said, for introducing the trackers to town residents.
The devices, Murray explained, are the latest in a long line of renewable-energy projects the town has undertaken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which are generated at power plants when fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas are burned to make electricity. By reducing its “carbon footprint,” Murray said, the town is helping to protect the environment. Greenhouse gases are believed by many climate scientists to be a major contributor to global warming, the slow heating of the Earth over decades.
“As our solar trackers follow the path of the sun, Hempstead Town will be leading the way to a greener and cleaner planet,” Murray said.
In addition to the trackers, the town has installed solar panels atop the Conservation and Waterways office in Lido and at its clam nursery nearby, which is also powered by a wind turbine. A model solar house is also on display near the office. New York Institute of Technology students built the house in 2007 for a Solar Decathlon, and the town had it moved to Lido.
