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Pilkington Research and Development Center - Solar Arrays Client: Pilkington North America

Pilkington Research and Development Center - Solar Arrays
Northwood, Ohio

Pilkington North America, Inc. (PNA) partnered with Hull & Associates, Inc. (Hull) to develop and install a 250-kilowatt (kW) solar array on a capped lagoon in Northwood, Ohio, in the Toledo metropolitan area to generate electricity for PNA’s R&D center. The solar photovoltaic (PV) array generates approximately 12% of the electricity required by PNA’s nearby research and development (R&D) facility, saving significant energy costs while offsetting 220 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

Hull built an access road to the capped lagoon to transport the concrete pads, solar panels and other necessary equipment. Then placed a geomembrane liner over the capped site, further protecting the area by reducing surface water infiltration and the amount of leachate generated. In December 2010, Hull began placement of the project’s 3,450 ground-mounted solar PV panels, which were manufactured locally by First Solar. Bringing this project full circle, First Solar used PNA’s own glass products to manufacture the solar panels. As of February 2011, the solar field is fully operational, and supplies approximately 12% of the R&D center’s power requirements.

This $1.5 million project was financed in part from: private capital raised by Hull; through a $680,782 grant from the Ohio Energy Office through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program; and a power purchase agreement (PPA) in which PNA’s R&D facility purchases low-cost power from Hull’s solar field, while Hull receives the resulting solar renewable energy credits (SREC). The SRECs are being sold into the Renewable Portfolio Standard compliance markets in Ohio and surrounding states, which requires 12.5% of its electricity come from renewable energy sources—including 0.5% from solar resources—by 2025. With the 0.5% solar requirement, Ohio is expected to be among the top states with markets for solar PV over 800 MW deployed or delivered to the state.

To find out how Hull can help, please contact Hull 's Energy Market Leader, Steve Giles at (614) 793-8777.