Laurel Place ribbon-cutting ceremony

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, State Senator John Fonfara and Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) president Bryan Garcia were on hand to help C-TEC owner Mickey Toro dedicate one of the state's largest single-system commercial solar thermal installations at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Laurel Place Apartments in Hartford. C-TEC Solar of Simsbury designed, installed and monitors the 60-panel system. 

Pictured at left (L-R): C-TEC owner Mickey Toro, Laurel Place property manager Vera Mladen, State Senator John Fonfara, C-TEC executive Harry Ranney and CEFIA president Bryan Garcia.

C-TEC Solar designs, installs and monitors both PV and Solar Thermal Systems throughout the northeast. People are now starting to see the benefits of solar thermal technology. It costs about one-third less than a Photovoltaic (PV) electric system and uses around 65% less energy than traditional hot water heating systems. And, with Federal and State tax rebates and incentives, it can pay for itself in as little as three years.

“This solar thermal system will help Laurel Place Apartments save on their energy expenses for many years into the future. This past year we created a full time energy department and a full time energy financing authority, CEFIA. We are now seeing the product of our efforts. This project is but the first of many initiatives to make Connecticut energy independent and to begin building an energy-based economy,” said Senator Fonfara.

The client has access to online tools to measure the system's productivity. "The 60-panel solar thermal system is performing very well," remarked Mickey Toro, C-TEC owner. "It produced 1.4 million BTU's in just one day — that's equivalent to 418 kilowatt hours — and it's only early March. We are excited to see how well it performs when there is more daylight."

Pictured at left: C-TEC engineer Dale Johnston explaining solar thermal technology to ribbon-cutting attendees on the rooftop of Laurel Place apartments. Pictured at right: C-TEC Solar representatives Mickey Toro, Harry Ranney, Dale Johnston and Dave Johnston with Vera Mladen in the main control room. 

“We feel that if everyone does their small part to help the environment, together we can make a big difference. We are thankful for the programs political leaders have put in place to help people like us install this kind of technology, and for companies like C-TEC Solar,” said Vera Mladen, property manager of Laurel Place Apartments.

CEFIA was established by Connecticut’s General Assembly on July 1, 2011 as a part of Public Act 11-80. This new quasi-public agency supersedes the former Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. CEFIA’s mission is to promote, develop and invest in clean energy and energy efficiency projects in order to strengthen Connecticut’s economy, protect community health, improve the environment, and promote a secure energy supply for the state. As the nation’s first full-scale clean energy finance authority, CEFIA will leverage public and private funds to drive investment and scale-up clean energy deployment in Connecticut.  

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