One of the
Eastside Food Coop's objectives is to minimize its environmental impact.
Early on, though, the food coop,
opened in Northeast Minneapolis in 2003, had accrued a lot of debt,
according to its general manager, Amy Fields.
While the coop wanted to invest in energy-saving infrastructure, its bills made it difficult to go there.
But
it wasn't long before the coop, which is housed in an old, largely
cement building in the Audubon neighborhood, underwent an eye-opening
analysis of its energy use. The study showed there was plenty of room
for improvement.
It pushed the coop to get creative to reduce
its carbon footprint and increase efficiency. After doing some digging to find energy-saving solutions, architect Brandon Sigrist, who is a
coop member, along with the local
Sundial Solar Consultants,
proposed a solar photovoltaic array--which converts
solar radiation into electrical energy--for the coop's 12,000 square
foot rooftop, Fields says.
A combination of Xcel Energy rebates,
including one for Minnesota-made solar products, plus a U.S. Treasury
Green Energy grant, helped make the $167,000 project doable.
The coop was able to get a cutting-edge photovoltaic solar panel array from the Bloomington-based company,
TenK Solar,
which specializes in the contraptions. Six rows of 18 panels with
reflectors, all on tracks, will put out about 28,000 kilowatt hours a
year, which accounts for between five and 10 percent of the store's
electrical costs.
The system is 50 percent more productive than
traditional photovoltaic systems because the inverted-V-shaped panels
can handle direct sunlight. It's effective even on overcast days, Fields
adds.
It'll save the coop several thousand dollars annually and decrease its carbon emissions by 20 tons a year. Over the next five years, the system, which will soon be running, will pay for itself, says Fields.
"Part
of what excites me," he adds, "is that now 3,200 [coop members] in
Northeast Minneapolis own a piece of solar. Hopefully it'll open us up
to more alternative energy from all of us."
Source: Amy Fields, general manager at Eastside Food Coop
Writer: Anna Pratt