Based on information in the video submitted by K.C. Poulos, Oak Park Sustainability Manager The village of Oak Park recently installed an array of solar panels on the roof of the Avenue Garage. This video tells the story of the solar array and the benefits to the environment.
One of the biggest challenges of installing the solar array was the crane work. Huge cranes were required to lift the equipment for the array up to the roof of the garage. In order to safely operate the cranes a day with very little wind was required. Fortunately we found a Sunday in March with winds less than 10 miles per hour. The crew was able to get the work done in 8-10 hours.
75% of the cost of the project was funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as a result of funding from the American Recovery and Renewal Act. Oak Park was recognized as a community that has the will power to invest in what we believe in.
The array will provide 20-30% of the electricity needed to light the garage, plus 130 Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC's) annually that can be sold on the open market.
The solar array will eliminate the release of 76 tons of CO2 per year, which is roughly equivalent in carbon sequestration to planting 38 acres of trees every year!
More information can be found in the June issue of the OP/FYI or email sustainability@oak-park.us.
