Westport man shrugs off power outages, points to solar panels

<p>While many residents have purchased gas and propane generators to prepare for storm-related power outages, one Westport man says he spent the last few years turning his home into a green energy power plant.</p>

News 12 Staff

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Mar 20, 2018, 6:48 PM

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Updated 2,662 days ago

While many residents have purchased gas and propane generators to prepare for storm-related power outages, one Westport man says he spent the last few years turning his home into a green energy power plant.

Bruce Becker says he has 60 solar panels and enough batteries to store power for up to two days.

"Maybe if the power is out for four days, with snow on my panels, then I'll have to pull out my generator," he says. "But until then, I think I'll be a little more relaxed than my neighbors."

He says drawbacks of fossil fuel generators include noise pollution and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"When you have houses close together, and generators are running, it does create a lot of background noise," he says.

The Westport Fire Department says anyone who is using a portable generator should run them outdoors and away from open windows. The unit should also have at least 5 feet of clearance in every direction.

Meanwhile, road crews spent Tuesday preparing for another foot of snow expected Wednesday.

One landscaper told News 12 his crews typically stay on the clock for another eight hours after a storm ends to finish the cleanup, which includes clearing snow and removing fallen trees.