On-Site Power Generation
Millies Engineering Group was contracted to design the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems for the New INTAC Local 697 Center located in Merrillville, Indiana. As part of our services, we designed a new roof mounted photovoltaic system.
A photovoltaic system utilizes an array of cells that contain solar photovoltaic material that converts solar radiation into direct current electricity. The direct current electricity is then converted to alternating current electricity by an inverter. This allows the electricity to be fed into the building’s electrical grid and provide a portion of the electricity required for the building. The system at IBEW 697 is capable of producing 21.5 kilowatts (KW) of electricity which provides approximately 40% of the building lighting load.
This photovoltaic system consists of 96 mono-crystalline silicon solar cells each capable of producing 224 watts of electricity. The solar cells are manufactured by Sharp and are made in the USA. These solar cells are divided into two sets of 48 cell arrays, which are mounted on two different roof sections. Each 48 cell array supplies one of two Fronius #12.0-3 direct current to alternating current inverters. This inverter has a DC to AC conversion efficiency of 96%, making it one of the highest efficiency inverters in the industry.
The Fronius Datalogger is incorporated into this system, giving the capability of monitoring the system from anywhere in the world via the internet. The solar cell arrays are roof mounted on a steel mounting structure manufactured by Silverback. This mounting structure consists primarily of Allied Tube products, which are also made in America from regionally produced American steel. The installation and project have been a great success, and have been utilized for training with new apprentice electricians.
Our firm has been designing sustainable solutions for years, including those which have utilized renewable energy components within the design. For example, Centennial Park, located in Munster, Indiana was provided with methane turbines, which burned methane gas reclaimed from the decommissioned landfill the park was built on. Also, two new elementary schools located in Markham and Hazel Crest, IL, are currently under construction with roof mounted photovoltaic arrays to provide on-site renewable energy, as well as an educational opportunity for the students when completed in the Fall of 2014.
