On September 30, the City of Asheville “flipped the switch” on the photovoltaic array, commonly known as solar panels, at Fire Station 10 on Old Haywood Road. This is the second City facility to include renewable energy production, the first being the Transit Station on Coxe Avenue. This is also part of a larger initiative to install solar panels on Buncombe County, City and County schools and AB-Tech facilities.
Installation of the solar panels supports Council’s strategic goal of A Clean and Healthy Environment and the 100% Renewable Energy Initiative.
The Fire Station 10 system will produce approximately 42,600 of kilowatt hours per year, enough electricity to power 3.6 homes.
The solar panels are anticipated to provide 40% of the energy consumed by the fire station. The electricity generated from the panels will be utilized onsite. When the solar panels produce more electricity than the building needs, that energy will be sent back to the grid in exchange for credits. At night, or at times when the solar panels are under-producing, the City will pull energy from the grid and use these credits to offset the costs of that energy. This is known as a “net-metered” system.
Want to follow along and see how much energy this and the rest of the City’s solar panels are producing? Check out our real-time monitoring web page!
For more information on Sustainability initiatives, please visit ashevillenc.gov/sustainability.