LightWave Solar Installs 400 kW for Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee
Atop their headquarters and warehouse facilities, solar PV furthers Goodwill’s mission of sustainability
May 4, 2012
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVySWFLYYw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Nashville, Tenn. – The largest area installer of solar PV systems in Tennessee, LightWave Solar, recently completed two solar installations totaling 400 kilowatts at Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee in downtown Nashville. The projects were 100 percent funded by the non-profit and are among the last systems under the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Generation Partners program for systems over 50 kW.
“The systems will generate over $100,000 per year for Goodwill,” says Steve Johnson, President of LightWave Solar. “They have invested in equipment that will help them hedge against rising fuel costs over the next 30 to 40 years.”
At their distribution warehouse, 200 kW is expected to offset nearly 80 percent of the building’s electric use. Another 200 kW on their headquarters will offset about 45 percent. Each system incorporates 832 Canadian Solar 240-watt solar panels, two 95kW Solectrica Renewables inverters, and Solectrica’s SolrenView web-based monitoring to track production and environmental benefits in real-time. Over the next 30 years, the systems will offset carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (NOX), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions that are equivalent to planting 2,400 acres of trees.
“We’re in the business of re-use,” says David Lifsey, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. “The items we sell might otherwise be destined for a landfill. Making use of a resource like sunlight makes sense and fits right in with our mission.”
Goodwill is a not-for-profit corporation whose primary mission is to provide training and employment services to people who have disabilities or who otherwise have trouble finding and keeping a job. They fund their operation through the sale of donated goods.
Their new solar systems are in addition to 60kW they installed last year.
“It is prudent to take advantage of the pollution-free, abundant and cost effective power of the sun,” says Lifsey. Goodwill’s board of directors has shown good stewardship of Goodwill’s resources and the world’s resources by their forward thinking decisions to utilize solar generation as part of our overall energy usage.”
On March 29 and 30, 2012, the systems were grid-interconnected by Nashville Electric Service (NES) and TVA.
To learn more about this project, contact LightWave Solar at 615-641-4050 and [email protected]. Monitoring data and project video are located here: http://monitor.lightwavesolar.com/goodwill.
