Talking Trash

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Earth Month 2011: our Transfer Station goes solar!

Posted as part of our Earth Month 2011 "GoGreen News and Tips" series...

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Did you know that the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station is now home to an array of 1,248 solar panels? The 280 kilowatt system went live last month. It will produce about 30 percent of the facility's energy needs. And, during the 20-year project, the panels are anticipated to produce 6 million kilowatt-hours, or enough energy to power 590 average American homes for one year.

Because the building's roof is flat, you can't see the array from the ground. We've taken a camera up to bring you close-up views of the project. From your computer, you can also look at how much energy the system is producing (and when our location experienced clouds or overcast skies!).

Learn more about our large-scale solar project, including photos and a link to near-real-time system performance monitoring.

This project is a joint effort of

• the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
• the Maryland Energy Administration
• the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority
• SunEdison

It was partially funded with a $280,000 Project Sunburst grant from the Maryland Energy Administration, with no upfront costs to us.

-- posted by Susanne

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CATEGORIES: Notes from the field , Transfer Station
POSTED AT: 3:01:00 PM |