WPPI leads with solar installation at headquarters
Two photovoltaic solar panels have been installed at Wisconsin Public Power Inc.’s Sun Prairie headquarters. WPPI Energy Services Representative Kurt Pulvermacher says the panels’ sunlight-tracking technology, which allows them to follow the sun’s movements throughout the day, increases the solar system’s efficiency by as much as 30%.
A press release from Wisconsin Public Power, Inc. (WPPI):
SUN PRAIRIE, WIS., Aug. 22 – Electric customers who wonder what local utilities are doing about climate change and the need for clean, renewable energy don’t have to look farther than the 100% green-powered headquarters building of Sun Prairie-based Wisconsin Public Power Inc. Now helping to power the WPPI operations and office facility are two 2.8-kilowatt photovoltaic solar arrays.
“It is WPPI’s business objective to be a model for cost-effective conservation initiatives and the efficient use of energy,” says President and CEO Roy Thilly. “WPPI’s new solar installation demonstrates our commitment to the use of clean, renewable energy.”
While much of the utility industry’s renewable development efforts in the region have focused on the use of wind power, WPPI’s solar installation demonstrates its commitment to using a diverse mix of clean energy technologies. WPPI is on-track to be six years ahead of schedule in meeting the Wisconsin state requirement that 10% of its energy portfolio be supplied from renewable resources by 2015.
Michael Vickerman, Executive Director for RENEW Wisconsin, notes that WPPI’s on-site solar system is the first of its kind for an electric utility in Wisconsin.
“RENEW commends WPPI for being the first Wisconsin utility to install solar electric panels at its headquarters,” says Vickerman. “Wisconsin has by far the strongest solar electricity market in the Midwest, thanks to proactive utilities like WPPI who, through their own initiatives, demonstrate to their customers that this is an energy technology worth owning.”
WPPI’s solar installation became operational this week. The panels are mounted on poles and equipped with sunlight-tracking technology so they can move and tilt with the sun’s path across the sky, increasing the system’s efficiency by as much as 30%.
An affordable, viable option
The installation will provide WPPI with approximately 9,000 kilowatt-hours of clean, emissions-free electricity each year, or enough energy to power three energy-conscious homes.WPPI Energy Services Representative Kurt Pulvermacher says that although WPPI’s system cost approximately $60,000, the average homeowner might spend less than half that for a small system. “In addition, federal tax credits and utility incentives for the use of solar can help offset project costs for individuals and businesses,” says Pulvermacher. “Solar technology is a good option for any individual or business interested in reducing their carbon footprint.”
Pulvermacher recommends that electric customers interested in learning more about renewable energy projects should start by contacting their local utility.
Leading the way to conservation
For customers served by WPPI member utilities, solar project funding may now be easier to come by since the company recently committed to increase its funding for energy efficiency and conservation programs by more than 300 percent.Other efforts to conserve at WPPI include the purchase of additional green power for the balance of the building’s energy needs so that the facility is now powered 100% by renewable energy.
Employees have also worked hard to conserve energy in the building, setting a goal to reduce consumption by 10% in two years. In less than 18 months, WPPI achieved a 15% reduction. The effort earned WPPI’s facility the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s prestigious ENERGY STAR®, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy performance.
“We’re working hard to lead by example,” says Thilly. “The use of renewable energy, whether by installing a solar system at home or by purchasing from utility green power programs, is a simple step anyone can take to help create a cleaner energy future.”
