Renewable Energy
Gettysburg Co-op Turns to Solar
The next time a Pennsylvania co-op’s load management program kicks in on a sunny day, the essential services handled at its Gettysburg headquarters will be running on solar power.
Members of the Adams Electric Cooperative board of directors join CEO/General Manager Steve Rasmussen (center, holding plug) to symbolically connect the co-op’s new solar project to the regional power grid. (Photo By: Adams Electric Cooperative)
“We’ve added 45 kilowatts of solar capacity to our facility and made it part of our load control program,” said Duane Kanagy, manager of communications and community services at Adams Electric Cooperative.
The new ground-mounted array began generating electricity Oct. 8, less than a year after the co-op applied for a state grant of just over $84,000 for the project. After receiving word of grant approval in December, staffers began planning for the project.
The co-op financed the balance of the $250,000 needed for materials and installation through the Rural Utilities Service.
Efforts to have the system running last summer were unsuccessful due to a high demand for solar photovoltaic equipment, which delayed shipments to vendors.
The project complements other energy saving features designed into the headquarters, which opened in 1996, said Kanagy. The building also has ice storage for cooling and electric thermal storage heating at the main entrances.
“The solar project sits on 9,000 square feet, which takes up about 50 parking spaces on our headquarters property,” said Kanagy. When the sun is not shining, the natural gas- powered generator that previously provided supplemental power is available when the co-op is controlling load.
A “solar dashboard” has been added to the co-op’s website. It provides data on current and cumulative production, a graph of fluctuations based on weather, and examples of what the generated electricity could power. Under normal conditions, the power produced by the panels flows back onto the distribution grid.
“This is one more way we’re providing realistic information to our consumer-members about the potential of renewable energy,” said Kanagy. “This will not only give us the opportunity to showcase net-metering in a commercial application, it will also reduce summer peak demand on our headquarters building.”
Tags: Renewable Energy, Solar Energy