Parking Authority Weighs Solar Carports For Fairfield Train Station

FAIRFIELD, Conn. --The Parking Authority of Fairfield Board is set to consider solar carport installations at the Fairfield Center train station parking lot at its meeting on Thursday.

The Fairfield Parking Authority is considering installing solar carports at the Fairfield train station parking lot.
Photo Credit: *File*

Karin Carrasco

10/28/2015 5:00 a.m.

The installation would cover two-thirds of the town-owned spaces, starting from the Unquowa Road end of the lot.

The solar carports should cover the parking spaces, sheltering cars from the elements. The electricity generated by the solar panels on the carport would be used to supply a portion of the power for Tomlinson Middle School, thus reducing Tomlinson’s energy costs. The carports would have LED lighting under the solar mounting system that should provide more focused, brighter and longer-lived lighting than now exists in the lot. Construction and installation would be required to take place during June, July and August, when many commuters are on vacation and might be least impacted. Construction would occur in stages, with approximately 25 percent of the carport structures being installed at one time, rendering the parking spaces in that area unavailable for the duration of that area’s construction. "The Parking Authority will do everything to make sure that all our permit holders will have a place to park, but cannot guarantee that there will be sufficient parking spaces for every permit holder to get a space during the construction," the authority said in a statement.

The meeting on Oct. 29 will be held in the second floor conference room of Sullivan Independence Hall at 7:30 p.m.

An electronic copy of the Greenskies Solar Carport Presentation will be available online. Comments may be emailed to PABoard@fairfieldct.org or posted on Facebook.

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