Fire Station No. 19 Solar Thermal & Electric
Address: 200 Ontario St SE
Three solar thermal and 58 solar electric panels were installed on the roof of Fire Station 19 in Fall 2011 and financed by a Minnesota Department of Commerce grant. The solar electric system provides 9.8 kW of solar electric power. The system consists of 58 tenKsolar panels which were made in Bloomington, Minnesota. The installation contractor was SunDial Solar, also of Minnesota.
The 120 square foot thermal system has a 120 gallon storage tank which acts as a pre-heater for the cold water entering the regular water heater. The systems were installed by Innovative Power Systems of Saint Paul, and the solar panels were manufactured by Solar Skies, LLC in Alexandria, Minnesota.
The fire station site was chosen because of its proximity to the Energy Innovation Corridor and the location’s superior solar resources – no other buildings in the area block its access to sun.
Benefits
- The solar thermal panels will provide the fire station with 50 to 70 percent of its hot water needs on an annual basis, saving the City of Minneapolis about $1,000 each year on natural gas.
- The solar electric array provides about 15 percent of the buildings annual electrical needs and saves the City of Minneapolis between $800 and $1,300 per year in electricity costs.
Last updated Dec. 23, 2011