Parkersburg
Recycling Center
Location
Parkersburg, WV
Commission Date
2015
System Size
65 kWDC | 209 modules
Avg. Annual Energy Offset
37%
We presented a proposal to the City of Parkersburg to provide solar power to its Recycling Center on 24th Street in Parkersburg during the summer of 2015. Our Operations Manager, Nick Arnold, prepared a presentation for the Public Works Committee which approved the project. Our Director of Communications, Lance McCoy, then presented the project to the City Council, which approved the project unanimously.
This system will save the City of Parkersburg’s Recycling Center an estimated $720 per year. It will prevent almost 6 train car loads of coal from being burned over its lifetime and avoid 60 tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere every year. It would take 50 acres of trees to absorb that amount of CO2!
The electrical and mechanical design was provided by Pickering Associates of Parkersburg, WV, which included a structural review by Eric Smith, PE, to assure the proper structural loading of the array. The installation was completed by Davis, Pickering and led by Dave Lamp, a Parkersburg electrical foreman.
This system utilizes aluminum rail systems manufactured by IronRidge in Hayward, CA, SolarWorld mono-crystalline 285W solar panels manufactured in Hillsboro, OR, and Enphase M250 microinverters allowing the output of the panels to be optimized.
This system is a grid-tied system, which means that it produces power which is synchronized and blended in with the utility power. This interconnected and ‘distributed’ generation will first power the loads within the building. If the building loads do not require all of the production of the solar system at the time the excess power will be fed back into the utility grid where it can be used by other local power consumers. The power company provides a meter which will register the forward- and reverse power flow and the power use of the building will be reduced by the generated amounts. If more power is produced in a given month the excess power ‘credit’ will be posted forward to offset future power use.
We would like to thank Mayors Newell (when the project started), acting Mayor Santer, and Mayor Colombo (current), Rickie Yeager, Development Director, and the City Council of the City of Parkersburg for their support through this project. We would especially like to thank Rick Deere and all of the staff at the Parkersburg Recycling Center for their wonderful support throughout this project.