A bright idea; Staples looks up to save planet.

Byline: John Dignam

The following correction was published Jan. 18, 2007:

KILLINGLY, Conn. - The solar industry is growing at about 35 percent a year, said Jigar Shah, chief executive officer of SunEdison LLC of Beltsville, Md. Because of a reporter's error in a story in yesterday's Telegram & Gazette, that figure was incorrectly described as the rate of growth of SunEdison, the company that designed, installed and operates a solar power installation on the roof of a Staples Inc. warehouse in Killingly. SunEdison is privately held and doesn't disclose sales growth.

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KILLINGLY - Staples Inc. yesterday dedicated what it described as the largest solar power installation in New England - 3,184 solar roof panels that will provide 14 percent of the energy needs of its 300,000-square-foot distribution center here.

"This is a milestone for Staples, Connecticut and the environment," said Michael Buckley, Staples vice president for environmental affairs.

He said the 433-kilowatt installation, one-and-a-half football fields in size, would have a measurable impact on the environment, reducing carbon emissions by 195 tons a year.

The energy generated would be enough to power 36 homes, he said.

"I would love to see this be the wave of the future," state Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, told those at yesterday morning's brief dedication ceremony.

Mr. Williams said energy rates in Connecticut are higher than Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New York.

"Solar is the future," Jigar Shah, chief executive officer of SunEdison, which designed and installed the system, said after the ceremony. "The next 10 years will be the decade of solar energy."

The $3.5 million commercial solar photovoltaic system was built at no capital cost to Staples. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund provided a $1.7 million grant and SunEdison funded the remaining cost. SunEdison will operate and maintain the system, selling the power to Staples.

Lise Dondy, president of the CCEF, said about two dozen commercial solar projects are installed or under way in Connecticut and the 200th home soon will have solar energy under a state rebate program.

"We have a pipeline of commercial (solar) projects," Ms. Dondy said. "There is tremendous momentum and interest in bringing solar on line."

She said there were one or two solar installation companies in the state a year ago. Now, there are 14.

The Connecticut General Assembly created CCEF in 2000 to promote the development and commercialization of clean energy technologies and the creation of clean energy supply. Its funding comes from a surcharge on electric ratepayers' utility bills. It is administered by Connecticut Innovations, a quasi-public organization.

The solar power system here covers 74,000 square feet of roof space on the Tracy Road facility and took two and a half months to put up, according to Mr. Buckley. He said it has been providing power for a couple of weeks.

Mr. Buckley said the system allows the company to lessen the impact of volatile electric rates on its costs, especially during peak energy hours. He said the facility here now could buy solar energy "off our rooftop at a rate below or equal to the cost of electricity off the grid."

In addition to reducing Staples' costs at the facility here, the solar energy system also frees up more electricity during peak hours for homes and businesses, he said.

SunEdison, headquartered in Baltimore, is the largest solar services provider in the country for utilities, businesses and municipalities, according to Mr. Shah.

He said the company is growing 35 percent a year (SEE CORRECTION) and that as solar energy installations increase, the cost of that technology continues to decrease. He predicted that costs will drop enough so that in a decade rebates will not be necessary to help pay the costs.

Staples has a goal of reducing the company's carbon emissions 7 percent by 2010. The company's environmental initiative includes environmentally preferable products, recycling, conservation, renewable energy and environmental education.

In addition to the facility here, Staples has solar power systems on one building in New Jersey and two in California, for a total of 1,113 kilowatts of solar energy. Mr. Buckley said solar systems would be installed on more buildings.

The regional distribution center here services 236 stores in New England, Long Island, Manhattan and other parts of New York State. Constructed in 1998, it replaced the company's first regional distribution center built in Putnam, about a mile and a half away.

The center processes 2,000 to 3,500 cartons per hour on three miles of conveyor belts, with 40 to 60 trailers making deliveries daily. It has about 500 employees.

Staples operates 1,800 office superstores, as well as a mail order catalog, e-commerce and contract business. It recorded sales of $16.1 billon in 2005.

Contact reporter John Dignam by e-mail at [e-mail].

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Michael Buckley, Staples vice president for environmental affairs, shown with the solar roof panels. (2) The roof of the Staples building in Killingly is covered with 3,184 solar panels.

PHOTOG: PHOTOS COURTESY STAPLES INC.