Entergy New Orleans and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) have reached an agreement to install solar panels on the roof of the agency’s Carrollton Streetcar Barn.
The 300 kW system will feed directly into the Entergy New Orleans electric distribution grid. Entergy New Orleans, a subsidiary of Entergy Corp., is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish.
The new agreement is part of the utility’s 5 MW commercial-scale rooftop solar initiative, which was approved by the New Orleans City Council last year. As part of this initiative, the company also announced in February that it had installed panels providing approximately 2.5 MW of solar generating capacity on a series of warehouse rooftops near the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal.
“RTA is the first public entity to participate in our distributed solar generation project, and we appreciate their initiative in stepping up to the plate as we work to put renewable energy into action,” says David Ellis, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. “We thank them for helping to lead the way among city agencies, and we look forward to partnering with others as we move forward.”
The utility is continuing to identify new sites for additional solar, focusing on buildings owned by educational institutions, government entities and nonprofit organizations in Orleans Parish.
“The RTA is proud to be entering into this partnership to help the City of New Orleans become greener,” says Flozell Daniels Jr., RTA board chair. “We are focused on conserving energy, reducing waste and doing our part to build a more sustainable community, while providing safe and reliable transportation services.”
