BGCFW is going green!
The Club has joined the “go green” movement with the installation of 216 solar panels on the roof of the Fairfield club building. This new 83,000 watt system is the largest solar energy system in the city of Fort Wayne.
Installed by Renewable Energy Systems, LLC located in Avilla, Indiana, it is comprised of 216 375-watt bifacial solar panels which are connected to inverters converting the DC power from the panels to AC power running all the lights, air conditioners and other electrical loads in the building. This system will provide over one-third of the electrical use of the facility and is capable of expansion to nearly 90-95% of all the electrical usage. The project took approximately 3 weeks to complete and the equipment has a life expectancy of 30+ years requiring minimal maintenance.
This system was paid for by a grant from the SUN FOR ALL Solar Empowerment Grant Program with the Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund as its fiscal agent and administered on behalf of the AEP Mitigation Money Oversight Committee. This grant was available for non-profit organizations to help provide renewable energy to those organizations who serve low income businesses, households or individuals. Out of all the state wide awardees, the Boys & Girls Club received the highest award.
The City of Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and media partners received a firsthand look at the panels at a press conference on November 17.
Solar energy is a clean and simple method of producing electricity eliminating tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere every year while lowering utility costs to the club. This is the first step in making the facility even more energy efficient.