A new solar array at 2nd Street Market will offset nearly half of the power it consumes.
The 131 panel solar installation cost nearly $144,000 and is among the largest of its kind in the city of Dayton, according to Five Rivers MetroParks, which operates the market
Karen Hesser, CEO for Five Rivers MetroParks, said she has been looking at using solar energy at MetroParks for years.
"I had worked in Arizona before coming to Five Rivers and of course, [It's] the Valley of the Sun," she explained. "And I said, 'You know, as a conservation agency, I would like for us to be able to see some solar projects find their way into our portfolio to help with our sustainability.'"
Funding for the project came from a donation made by Mat and Cindi Heck. The Hecks have helped fund two of Five Rivers MetroParks larger projects.
Projects like the solar panels are a big part of MetroPark's mission statement.
“It's a significant step in our downtown destinations commitment to our sustainability," Hesser said. "Again, we say that we are the conservation leader. And so by being able to walk the walk with this is just really going to make a significant improvement.”
The panels will help reduce the market’s carbon footprint.
The solar panels are expected to offset 46% of the market’s power consumption, generating 100,000 kilowatt hours annually.
"That's honestly the same as as powering nine average American homes for a year," Hesser said. "So there's a lot of energy that goes into that Market. Obviously, with the vendors, the air conditioning, the heating, all of that."
MetroParks has also installed an educational component to its East Second Street entrance.
"You can pull a QR code up and see in real time what that system is generating in terms of power, both for the hour, for the day, for the month, for the year," said Alexis Larsen, the chief of philanthropy for Five Rivers MetroParks.
Visitors can also learn more from a sample solar panel that will be accessible to look at and touch.
"It's no secret that the environment is challenged and I think it's exciting to see in such a major way, at an icon that people visit in droves, to have something so public there that talks about that. That just gets us thinking a little bit more about what kind of choices can we each make in our individual lives," Larsen said.
