More than 350 of your Needham neighbors have installed solar. Becoming one of them may be easier than you think! Join us on October 18th and learn about the benefits of installing solar at your home! The Green Needham Collaborative
Stuff
Stuff. We all have it, we might think we have too much (or at least the other people in our household have too much) and at the same time there’s always something else we want (ooh, look!) The poet William
Gubenatorial Candidates’ Stances on the Environment
UPDATE 10-27-2014: the Globe just published a nice color-coded chart with the 5 candidates’ views on environmental and other issues. Check it out here. A few weeks ago, when Green Needham went to compile the gubernatorial candidates’ current environmental positions,
What happens to the solar panels when they break or wear out? Who covers maintenance?
Most solar panels have an expected lifetime of 25 years, with very little maintenance required. The individual components have lifetimes of ten years and up. The cost of maintenance and extended warranties will be an important factor of the project’s
Will the system work on cloudy, overcast or snowy days? Does the system work when the regular power (the utility grid) is down?
Because photovoltaic (PV) solar systems use the full spectrum of light, the ultraviolet rays are still charging the system, even when the sunlight isn’t visible. Obviously, the system will produce more power on bright sunny days. In the event of
How does solar power work?
Solar systems that produce electricity are known as photovoltaic, or PV, systems. The term “photovoltaics” refers to the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level, using silicon semiconductor materials. The power produced in direct current, or DC.
The landfill is closed and capped to prevent pollution, but will this project harm the landfill cap and lead to pollutant leaks?
Any project built at the RTS has to be done in conjunction with the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), who is responsible for insuring that closed and capped landfills do not pose an environmental threat. The system can be
Where would this go? What happens to the transfer station?
The PV panels, mounted in frames (arrays), would go on top of the capped former landfill. (This is the flat-topped “hill” that you see, behind the transfer station area.) The transfer station, yard waste and composting areas won’t be affected.