On July 28th, the City of Asheville “flipped the switch” on the photovoltaic array, commonly known as solar panels, at the Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center on Livingston Street.
Sustainable Energy Goals:
This is the sixth City facility to include renewable energy production, the first being the Transit Station on Coxe Avenue.
Installation of the solar panels supports Council’s strategic goal of A Clean and Healthy Environment and the 100% Renewable Energy Initiative.
How will the energy produced be used?
The Wesley Grant Center system will produce approximately 147,600 of kilowatt hours per year, enough electricity to power 13.2 homes.
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.
Check us out:
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.