Solar Source, a UMA Solar dealer, recently installed 21 Solene solar hot water systems at various
municipal buildings for the City of St. Petersburg. The solar water heaters are
expected to help the city save over $20,000 per year on operating expenses
through reduced electricity bills.
An Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) provided through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 paid for the systems.
Solar
Source installed the at four fire stations, the Sanitation Operations building,
three sewage treatment plants, the Water Resources Building, the Sunshine
Center, the Enoch Davis Rec Center, City Hall, the city golf courses, and the
Coliseum. (Click here for a map.)
The solar
water heaters are part of a broader renewable energy push for the city, which
includes the Solar Parks Initiative Grant Project. Solar Source is installing
photovoltaic systems on recreation centers and park facilities throughout the
city through the Solar Parks Initiative. The PV systems will include an
interactive educational display at the Science Center of Pinellas County where
residents can learn how solar power works.
“The
‘Sunshine City’ was wise to invest in solar power,” said Jeremiah Rohr,
Commercial Sales Representative for Solar Source. “Using grant money to invest
in solar hot water systems will immediately reduce the monthly operating costs
for the city. As energy prices continue to rise in the future, this investment
will continue to generate even more savings for the city.”
St.
Petersburg is known as the "Sunshine City" because it holds a
Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine - a
stretch lasting 768 days that began in 1967, according to the city web site.
St. Petersburg Councilmember Karl Nurse was a strong advocate for the clean
energy investment plan, which also includes a solar hot water purchasing
program for city residents.
The solar
thermal systems, also called domestic hot water (DHW), use the sun’s energy to heat water, which is pumped into a
storage tank. The pre-heated water greatly reduces the need for traditional
fuels to heat the water in the tank. Replacing a typical water heater with a solar
powered system will reduce more than 40,000 pounds of CO2 emissions over 20
years and potentially hundreds of dollars per year in utility costs.
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