Westville Seafood 'Goes Solar' By Installing Panels On Its Roof

NEW HAVEN, CT — New Haven's Westville Seafood has "gone solar" — the restaurant has installed a solar photovoltaic system that is projected to save it more than $240,000 over the next 25 years.

The 32.56 kW solar system was recently installed to the restaurant's roof using financing from the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program, the Connecticut Green Bank said in a news release.

The panels will be useful for around 25 years.

Westville Seafood, which opened in 2008, serves fried and grilled seafood dishes as well as soups, salads and sandwiches.

Summer is the restaurant's peak season, so each summer it must pay for "a significant amount of energy," owner David Austin said.

"Going solar helped offset the cost of electricity, it’s more environmentally friendly, and our customers love it," Austin said. "We’re thankful for the help we received from the Connecticut Green Bank, who made the process easy."

Mackey Dykes, Green Bank's vice president of financing programs, said solar and energy efficiency upgrades can help restaurant owners offset their energy costs.

"We are glad that Westville Seafood went solar, and we hope the visibility of their panels will get others curious about solar," Dykes said.