Sen. Kane & Rep. Williams Applaud Installation Of Solar Array At Crystal Rock Bottling Plant In Watertown

Local Legislators Join Governor Rell At Event Celebrating Installation

Senator Rob Kane (R-32) and Representative Sean Williams (R-68) recently joined Governor M. Jodi Rell at a Watertown event celebrating the installation of a new solar panel system at the local Crystal Rock Bottling Plant.

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which is administered by the quasi-public Connecticut Innovations and funded by electric ratepayers, contributed a $1.3 million grant toward the cost of the $2.2 million project. It is expected that the 300kW photovoltaic array will supply more than a quarter of the company’s power needs and sell excess power to the state’s power grid during peak demand periods.

The two legislators agreed with Governor Rell’s assessment that the installation of the system that includes more than 1,600 solar panels will benefit not only the Watertown-based company, but also the environment and energy ratepayers across the state. They also said that state government support for projects that benefit both business and the environment are important to ongoing efforts to promote a strong economy.

“Crystal Rock has been a vital presence in Watertown for a long time now, and I am delighted that the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund invests in innovative, environmentally responsible projects like this one that benefit both the private sector and Connecticut as a whole. We will always need to produce energy and I believe that all of us, businesses and individuals, understand the value of making sure that our efforts to light our homes and run our businesses does not also harm our environment. I want to congratulate Crystal Rock for its initiative, and thank Governor Rell for supporting this important project,” said Senator Kane.

“Crystal Rock is to be congratulated for its efforts to become less reliant on traditional sources of energy – and help ratepayers across the state do the same thing. Projects like this show that businesses can and, when possible, will find ways to use alternative sources of energy. It makes sense for government to encourage businesses to invest in environmentally friendly energy producing projects, and I, too, want to thank Governor Rell for her support. The true beneficiaries of projects like are the citizens of Connecticut,” said Representative Williams.