City To Install Solar Panels On Queens Schools

QUEENS, NY — Seven Queens public schools will be outfitted with solar panels by the end of next year as part of a city and state initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and increase renewable energy sources, according to officials and a news report.

The Queens schools, which have not yet been chosen, are among 47 public schools across the five boroughs that will get solar arrays on their rooftops, the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the New York Power Authority announced Thursday.

The solar panels on the seven Queens schools alone will generate enough energy to power 330 homes for a year, the Queens Daily Eagle reported.

All together, the solar arrays will reduce nearly 7,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year — the same as taking 1,500 cars off the streets, according to a news release.

Public schools' carbon emissions account for nearly a third of those produced by city buildings, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services said.

“Our schools are not only tackling climate change in the classroom, but also on the rooftop,” said Lisette Camilo, commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. “New solar installations on schools and other public facilities will generate green energy that will help achieve Mayor de Blasio’s goal of reducing citywide emissions 80% by 2050.”

The city selected the firms Ameresco and ENGIE North America to install the solar panels.

Schools in low-income communities with higher levels of pollution will be prioritized in deciding where to put the solar panels, a Department of Citywide Administrative Services spokesperson told the Eagle.