Roseville, Calif.-based Solar Power Inc. has completed work on a 400 kW photovoltaic (PV) system that will provide a majority of the electricity required to power the 43,195 square-foot Placer County juvenile detention facility in California.
‘The primary goal of this system has been to eliminate our dependency on grid-sourced electricity and the cost it represents to our county,’ says Tom Miller, county executive officer with Placer County. ‘This will have a positive impact on our county. It represents a true union of environmental conservation and fiscal responsibility.’
The system's ground-mounted array consists of 2,424 165 W PV solar modules and uses almost two acres of previously unused county-owned land located in close proximity to the facility. In addition to the ground-mounted array, the system consists of three 125 kW inverters that convert the DC electricity generated by the PV array into AC electricity for use by the facility.
The system design also includes a self-cleaning feature that keeps the modules dust-free and operating at maximum capacity year-round. The entire project will generate approximately $2.7 million in revenue for the company.
