O&G Installs Solar Array for Quarry, Plant Operations
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On five acres of its existing Southbury quarry footprint, O&G Industries of Torrington, Connecticut, had room to install a sustainable energy platform to power its quarry and asphalt plant operations. The company went live with a 1.3-megawatt (MW) solar array at the quarry on Roxbury Road in spring 2020. Planning and permitting for the project began in autumn 2018. The company’s chief counsel, Paul Balavender, explained, “Local permits were secured by Ken Faroni,
32 // august 2020
BY SANDY LENDER
O&G’s now-retired director of planning and permits. Ken worked at O&G for over 30 years in the role and had established very good relationships with the town boards and local officials that he engaged with on a regular basis.” As outlined in a blog post for The Town of Woodbury, Connecticut, April 28, 2019, the zoning commission commended O&G’s concept to “go green” with the solar panel project, but its town attorney deemed a hearing necessary before the project could be permitted.
“The idea of a minor modification was rejected and a hearing required,” Balavender explained. “We had space available within the existing footprint of the quarry for the improvement.” With the permit secured, O&G began construction with site clearing June 2019. They installed panels October 2019. They flipped the switch March 27, 2020. What they’ve accomplished is an environmentally laudable concept for other quarries and plants to consider. O&G Engineering
