Page 259 - BWM March 2013

March 2013 | Business World Magazine | 259
as the 30 kilowatt (kW) system from 130 so-
lar panels installed on the rooftop of a police
station in downtown Denver. Large-scale
commercial installations above a megawatt
are their true wheelhouse. In 2011, Main
Street Power and partners built a 5 MW sys-
temon the 435 acre campus of ArizonaWest-
ern College (AWC) that won the PV Project
Distinction Award in 2012. Located in the
southwestern corner of the state, Yuma, Ari-
zona has been distinguished by the Guinness
Book of World Records as the “sunniest city
on Earth.”
The installation is comprised of 22,000
solar panels on some forty acres of land.
Recognized as one of the largest installa-
tions of its kind, AWC is expected to save a
substantial amount of money over the life of
the Power Purchase Agreement. Main Street
Power owns and will maintain the systems
for the life of the PPA.
“It speaks volumes that private business
and public entities are committed to reduc-
ing their carbon footprint, and the benefits
to educational institutions especially ac-
cumulate as they gain understanding and
can appropriately budget for future power
needs,” Hinckley explains.
Paradise Valley Unified School District