by Shane Henson — October 7, 2011—Global solar company Canadian Solar Inc. has been awarded a contract to provide solar panels for a new 2.1 megawatt solar power installation at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The hospital will invest $9 million in the project, and will realize substantial savings in its energy cost over the next several decades, according to Canadian Solar Inc. Economic benefits from the project include revenue from New Jersey’s unique solar renewable energy credit program, a federal tax credit, and substantially reduced electricity costs. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), the local utility, has helped finance the project through its solar loan program. By generating its own solar power, the hospital can control its energy costs and insulate itself from increasing utility rates.
Comprised of nearly 10,000 Canadian Solar 6P 240P solar panels, the installation will produce roughly 2.3 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy per year and is expected to eliminate 78 million pounds from the hospital’s carbon footprint over a 20-year span. The installation will consist of six separate solar arrays: two rooftop arrays, three parking lot solar canopies and a further solar canopy on the top deck of a multi-floor parking structure. In addition to supplying the hospital with cost effective renewable energy and helping reduce pollution in New Jersey, the canopies will also provide shade for patients’ cars while they seek treatment.
While this is a large scale-project, it illustrates how building and facilities managers overseeing facilities of all sizes can reduce their energy expenses through utilizing solar energy.
