Solar Panels Installed At RI State Beaches, Port Of Galilee

NARRAGANSETT, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management used part of a massive legal settlement to install new solar panels at Narragansett's Port of Galilee and two state beaches.

Terry Gray, the DEM's acting director, said that it is state agency's responsibility to "lead by example and expand clean energy solutions in projects and facilities whenever possible."

"This is only a small step, but the first of many that we are planning to take in future months and years to reduce our carbon footprint and help Rhode Island meet the mandates of the Act on Climate," Gray said.

The funding came from a 2015 settlement with Volkswagen, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that the company installed illegal software in diesel engine cars that falsified information about nitrogen oxide emissions. About 3,000 vehicles were affected in Rhode Island. Part of the settlement allowed states to receive funding to pay for projects that reduce diesel emissions or install infrastructure for electric vehicles.