Posts Tagged ‘solar energy system’
Virginia Goes Solar with Stimulus Money
January 16th, 2010 | 
Author: In Danville, Virginia, city fathers are planning to use stimulus funding, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (distributed through the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Formula Block Grant), to install solar panels on the city’s market building in December.
The $202,000 grant will fund a 25-kilowatt (or larger) installation, for which Danville city officials are already seeking request for proposals. The contractor chosen must design, procure, install and commission the system.
The market is actually a train freight depot, now unused, that serves as a farmer’s market and community activities building located in the Dan Complex, or “Crossing of the Dan”, in the historic Tobacco Warehouse District.
Completed, it will be the first major solar photovoltaic installation in the region, and officials hope it provide enough electricity for the entire building (which will still rely on a gas-powered heating system).
More important, the solar energy system – which represents the city’s commitment to renewable energy and sustainable environment – will encourage other businesses in the community to go solar.
Any energy not used for the market, as in winter, will be fed back into the grid, according to Danville Deputy City Manager Joe King.
The project is calling for both solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal energy (hot water heating), and the wording of the RFP suggests that any firm winning the bid would also be engaged in other renewable energy projects, and would additionally be responsible for helping the city find other sources of funding to complete the installation.
Danville has already made its first “green” venture by installing energy-efficient LED lighting under the Cree LED City Program, to its water treatment plant and Adult Detention Center.
On Oct. 28, the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury also awarded $29 million in bonds to American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) for a solar energy project in the City of Danville. It is one of 805 awarded across the nation that provides zero-interest development bonds for renewable energy. AMP, a member-owned wholesale power supplier, is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and owns the 213-megawatt Gorsuch coal-fired generating plant in Marietta.
AMP’s investment in solar energy can be seen as a positive indicator that even coal-plant owners are beginning to see a future in solar.
Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar panel resources and solar energy page contains articles and tools to help with your solar project. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/virginia-goes-solar-with-stimulus-money-1730701.html
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Washtenaw County Saves $766,900 With Solar Panels
Funding from Michigan State’s Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or ARRA, will reach the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners to be spent at their discretion.
One of their choices is solar energy, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, to be installed on the roof of a county office building at 705 N. Zeeb Road at a cost of $115,000.
The rooftop solar array is expected to generate between 3 percent and 5 percent of the building’s total annual electricity needs, saving the county (and taxpayers) $1,000 to $1,500. The 10-kilowatt solar energy system on a county facility will also prevent between 16,000 and 24,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, or about 8.6 metric tons over its lifetime, or the equivalent of planting 221 trees per year, or removing 1.6 cars from the road.
The county may also be able to sell the electricity as renewable energy credits (RECs) or “Green Tags” and add between $500 and $1,000 to its operating budget per year.
The installation will also provide educational opportunities to residents and schools via an electronic display in the front lobby of the building, which will include a description of the PV project and real-time calculations of electricity produced and dollars saved.
Washtenaw County officials also plan to spend $76,690 toward the development of a Southeast Michigan Energy Office – a concerted effort between the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, the Detroit-based WARM Training Center and SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments), a regional planning partnership. The group aims to track energy savings, provide energy audits, assist Department of Energy reporting and grant compliance assistance, and offer grant writing and other technical assistance.
Another $242,500 of the award will be used to retrofit various county buildings, including T8 (high efficiency, fluorescent) lighting upgrades and adding energy sensors to county storerooms, mechanical rooms and restrooms, as well as adding LED lights where appropriate, adding insulation and building hot-water heating systems, notably at the county’s detention facility.
Another $57,710 would be spent developing a Washtenaw County energy policy and strategy, and a final $275,000 devoted to a revolving loan fund to provide for residential, commercial and institutional building energy upgrades.
The county estimates $400,000 in energy savings over the course of a decade, with project payback times ranging from 4 to 13 years, with the overall intent aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to county officials.
Overall, the initiative is intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and realize energy savings at county facilities, as well as some residential and commercial facilities. The use of the approximately $100,000 left over has not been mentioned.
Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar panel resources and solar energy page contains articles and tools to help with your solar project. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/washtenaw-county-saves-766900-with-solar-panels-1666441.html