Sep. 28--ANDOVER -- It's a decidedly low-tech solution in a dangerously high-tech world.

Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems, located on a vast campus at the juncture of Interstate 93 and Route 133 in Andover, makes advanced radar systems used by the U.S. military to identify and shoot down enemy planes and blow up enemy targets.

The local division of the multi-national corporation uses a lot of electricity to make its products, and has decided that the sun is at least one way to reduce that fixed, overhead cost.

On Tuesday, the company held a ceremony on the roof of one of its six buildings at the IDS center marking the installation and operation of a 528-panel solar array. While company executives admitted that the panels, made by Evergreen Solar of Marlboro, Mass. and installed by Mass. Electric, will only contribute a small portion to the overall energy needs of the plant, it's a step in the right direction.

"This is our first venture in sustainable energy," said Dan Ryan, vice president for operations at Raytheon IDS. "But it won't be our last."

He said the company is also considering a number of other renewable energy projects, including more solar photovoltaic systems, solar hot-water panels, geothermal and wind power installations.

For now, though, the company is making a small dent in its overall energy appetite. In all, the plant uses about 55,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year, about the same amount used by 5,500 single-family homes. The solar panels on the roof, meanwhile, will produce about 100 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power about 12 homes a year.

The rooftop array cost $750,000 to install, not including a $316,000 grant from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust.

Ryan said the grant made the project financially feasible, and thanked Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray during Tuesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for his and the Patrick administration's commitment to renewable energy.

"We see this as a partnership between the state and private business," said Murray, who toured the nearly 2 million-square-foot IDS facility prior to the ceremony. "It was impressive to see not just Raytheon's commitment to renewables, but how the company has incorporated energy efficiency across all their systems to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions."

For example, the company is able to recycle about 77 percent of all waste from its cafeteria, which feeds many of the roughly 4,000 employees who work at the Andover plant.

The company also has an ongoing initiative to replace inefficient lights and has undertaken a number of other measures to reduce energy use and increase conservation.

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