New Haven Independent

December 2005

Dear friend and neighbor,

I am Tsvi Benson-Tilsen, a student in seventh grade at Ezra Academy, who will celebrate becoming a bar mitzva in February 2006 at Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI) in New Haven, CT. I’m writing to tell you about my bar mitzva project, to ask your support, and to offer my help to you should you be interested in taking similar action.

My bar mitzva project is to install a 6,000 watt photovoltaic system on the BEKI roof. You might have read about it in the Forward (4 Nov 2005) or in local publications.

Because I believe you are concerned about the environment, about our dependence on fossil fuels, and about plans for new high-voltage power lines, I am asking for your support for this project. You may also be concerned about the potential human hardship and detriment to New England economic development of the rolling blackouts threatened as early as this winter due to our power generation and distribution problems (see New Haven Register 13 December 2005 p. A2).

The 6,000 watt solar array will produce as much electricity as is consumed by a typical household. The solar panels will reduce the amount of electricity we draw from the power grid, thus reducing the strain on the grid during peak demand periods. That will help obviate the need for new high-voltage power lines, and will lessen the likelihood of rolling blackouts. This will also cut down on the burning of fossil fuels, which are becoming more costly to extract and burn. This is especially important on sunny days when electric demand is highest and power companies turn on their dirtiest, least efficient fossil-fuel plants — the very days the photovoltaic cells will be busily, silently, producing lots of pollution-free electricity. Since this system will be “tied” to the power grid, it will actually feed electricity into the grid whenever its output exceeds BEKI’s demand.

The BEKI roof is ideal for a solar array as it gets almost full sun all day, all year. It is very visible from Whalley Avenue, helping to increase public awareness of the importance, simplicity, and feasibility of solar installations in Connecticut. Because of the high price of fossil fuels and the expense of building high-voltage transmission lines from big power plants, and because of the medical expenses associated with the pollution those power plants produce, solar power is now a good buy in Connecticut.

BEKI is located on bustling Whalley Avenue, where 1,000 cars per hour drive past — making it one of the most visible local Jewish sites. In addition to the families at the synagogue, the building also houses the Abiyoyo Cooperative Day Care, the Garinim Montessori Day Care, as well as another non-profit office. That means that a lot of people will be able to see this project and will have many opportunities to learn about it.

The system we are installing is not new technology. In fact, thousands of these systems have been in use for years in California and other places. The system is warranted for 25 years and should last at least 40 years. It has almost no moving parts so there is virtually nothing to wear out. In some parts of the country, you can buy the whole system in a big box at stores like Home Depot. What is new, besides incremental technical improvements, is that these systems now make a lot of sense for Connecticut.

Here is how you can help me. The total cost of the array that I am installing is about $45,000. I am already three-fourths of the way to my goal, and so I just need a little more help from my friends and concerned neighbors. If I am able to raise more than my target of $45,000, I will be able to increase the size of the array, and proportionally increase the benefit. The larger the project, the more efficient it will be. The BEKI roof is huge and there is room for at least ten times as many panels I am planning in this project, so if I can do more, I will. If you can help, please send a check made to “Cong. BEKI” with a memo “Tsvi” or “Solar” and send it to BEKI, 85 Harrison St., New Haven CT 06515. BEKI has been determined to be a 501(c)3 corporation by the U.S. Department of Treasury, so all contributions are tax-deductible, and foundations may contribute as well. We can also accept the donation of appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other securities. No contribution is too small or too large. I really want a lot of people to have a part in this project.

Now, here is how I might be able to help you. I have learned a lot about the practical issues involved in installing solar panels in Connecticut, so I can share my experience as well as valuable information with you. I can tell you how you can qualify for a Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) rebate on a system for your residence, workplace, or institution. The state and power companies are making these very generous rebates available because it is cheaper for them to subsidize putting solar panels on your roof than to spend billions of dollars building new fossil-fuel burning plants and criss-crossing the state with giant transmission lines. They actually want to help you do it. I can also tell you about the solar companies and electricians I met with who bid or made offers to install the system at BEKI. I can show you tools for calculating your “rate of return” on your investment in solar.

If you happen to have a lot of shade or for whatever reason can’t put up a system on your own roof, then I am also giving you a chance right now to do the next best thing. You might have spent $5,000 to $15,000 to put a system on your own roof — but you can do “your part” vicariously through my project.

If you have questions, you can write me at home, 281 W Elm St., New Haven, CT 06515, call me at (203) 389-6137, or email me at quackduckcheese@hotmail.com . You can also contact my father, Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen, who is one of the people helping me with this project (and who is the rabbi at BEKI), at (203) 389-2108 x10 or jjtilsen@beki.org. We can show you the system at BEKI or speak at your school, organization or business.

Thank you for your help in my project and in building a better future for all of us.

Sincerely,

Tsvi Benson-Tilsen