With New Solar Panels in Port Washington, Verizon Gets Greener

Verizon is tapping the sun through newly installed solar panels to help power buildings in Port Washington and Garden City.  

The move enables the company to reduce its carbon footprint, and find cost savings, too.

“It lowers our expenses, and helps us run more efficiently,” John Bonomo, a spokesman for Verizon. ”We’re doing the right thing for the environment.

The systems went live in both buildings in November.

There are 108 newly installed poly-crystalline solar panels on the roof of the building at 35 Prospect Avenue in Port Washington, which handles about 30,000 subscribers – most of them landline-based. According to Bonomo, the installation cost $175,000. But with federal and state grants and local utility rebates, the cost was reduced to $73,000. The panels produce 25 kilowatts of DC power, with an estimated cost savings on commercial power of $6,000 annually. Verizon expects to see payback for its investment in 2.75 years.

The Garden City installation at 741 Zeckendorf Boulevard in Garden City consisted of 221 poly-crystalline solar panels, costing $300,000, Bonomo said. But with grants and rebates, the cost was reduced to $112,000. Garden City is home to Verizon’s Long Island headquarters, with call centers, service centers and more. The panels produce 50 kilowatts of DC power, with an estimated cost savings on commercial power of $12,000 annually. Payback for the investment is expected in 1.12 years.   

The project took about 12 weeks to complete. The installation process went smoothly, said Tom Donnelly, the Verizon real estate manager for Nassau County.

“LIPA provided a nice incentive and were terrific to work with,” he said.

The permitting process, too, was conducted without a hitch. Speaking about Port Washington, Donnelly said, “The Town of North Hempstead was very cooperative and easy to work with. I was very impressed.”

The Port Washington building, he added, was a good candidate for the solar panel installation because its roof is new and flat, and there are no trees encroaching on any sunlight.

The solar panel installations are just one component of Verizon’s green initiative, Bonomo said. The company operates a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrid trucks. In addition, 32 Verizon stores in 2010 earned U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The company also earned (EPA) Energy Star certification for upgrading 85 of its retail stores.

Meanwhile, the new solar panel installations “represent Verizon's largest solar initiative by Verizon to date,” Bonomo said. “Both systems have an expected life of 40 years.”

“Both installations have gone through an earthquake, a hurricane and a tropical storm without issue in the last three months,” Bonomo said.