Now the City is completing its second significant installation -- on top of the biggest vendor shed in the Public Market. The project is mounting 66 solar panels, each 2 by 3 feet and able to produce about 225 Kilowatts. At peak efficiency the array can yield about 15,000 watts of electricity.
According to the D&C the solar installation was paid for with, “$48,000 from the city’s allotment of federal renewable-energy economic stimulus funds, plus $24,000 from New York state.”
This is a significant project not just because of the energy savings for the taxpayers and vendors but for its educational effect. Tens of thousands of people visit the Public Market every year. The city is making plans to provide information and education around the installation. This will give residents and visitors an opportunity to see a comprehensive alternative energy project at work.
The City of Rochester is demonstrating significant public leadership installing and educating the community to the benefits of alternate energy.
City of Rochester Public Market Site
Visit the Public Market with the D&C
I love that we are taking sustainable technology more seriously! It has always been an option, but it sometimes seems limited to the discussion phase of "how to make the world a better place." To see that we are taking a step in the right direction by applying this technology is so refreshing to see. I think starting with a mainstay institution that we all know and love, like the Public Market, is a phenomenal way to get the community informed and interested in solar power.
A lot of times we shrug off an idea because we don't think it will work, when in reality we don't know HOW it works. So I think it's great that the city plans to provide information about the project as the installation takes place. Sometimes statistics and articles alone don't provide the scope of understanding that the public needs. Seeing the project unfold will no doubt encourage people to think about going solar with their own home.
It's true that maintaining the status quo is easier and less costly. But the connotations associated with the word "cost" are many; something can be costly to your health, to the environment, to the future. Why must money always be the first and only worry? I've read countless articles about the amount of energy (and money) saved in the long term by looking at solar power as an investment. Rochester Solar Technologies, for example, works to promote solar energy and install equipment in homes all throughout Western New York. According to the company's website, one couple who used their services is now equipped to produce clean energy for the next 30 years, offsetting their electrical needs by 40% (check out the website at www.solarrochester.com. It's very informative and interesting!)
While that statistic might not seem very high, the work of Rochester Solar Technologies and the solar array installed at the Arnett Branch Libarary are both examples of what potential there is in promoting solar power. If more people climb on board, the equipment will have an infinite lifespan, and 100% of private electrical needs will be achieved through solar power. Maybe all public buildings will produce clean energy, like the Public Market.
Some of the most important movements, such as Civil Rights have started at the grassroots level, just like the push for environmental sustainability. It is my belief that starting at the local level as we are with the projects mentioned in this post will educate and inspire people to finally turn the discussion of "how to make the world a better place" into a possible and tangible change.