May 8, 2009
3:45 p.m.
ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - On May 8, 2009, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department (EPD) powered up a new 11 Kilowatt (KW) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System on the roof of the County's Hazardous Waste Collection Center at the Leveda Brown Environmental Park. This new system is the second Solar PV system added to Alachua County's renewable power generation inventory.
A major source of funding for this new 11 KW PV system was a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) grant . This new Solar PV System will participate in the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Feed-in-Tariff program and is expected to generate approximately $6,000 annually in revenue to offset recurring operating costs at EPD's Hazardous Waste Collection Center. EPD's success in leveraging FDEP grant funds to support this project results in an extremely favorable return on the County's investment .
"This new solar system will help Alachua County reduce both costs and greenhouse gas emissions" said Chris Bird, Director of Alachua County EPD. He continued saying, "I want to recognize Dr. John Mousa, EPD's Pollution Prevention Manager, for his work in getting this project completed on time and under budget. Also, EPD's Kurt Seaburg, Hazardous Waste Coordinator and his staff deserve recognition for their excellent job performance that made the FDEP grant funding possible. Finally, I would like to thank the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for being a key partner on this project".
For more information, contact Chris Bird, Director of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department at 352-213-4987.
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