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Title:	Flagstaff City Hall Plugging Into The Sun
Author:	J. Ferguson, Sun Staff Reporter
Source:	The Arizona Daily Sun
Date:	July 21, 2006

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Flagstaff City Hall Plugging Into The Sun

Flagstaff, AZ--  In the coming weeks, the facade on the south side of Flagstaff City Hall will blossom with solar panels, allowing the city to reduce its electric bill.

The thin-film solar panels, about one-sixteenth of an inch thick, will produce about 27,000 to 30,000 kilowatt-hours annually, or about 3 percent of the annual power needs for City Hall.
Jonathan Koehn, the city's conservation manager, said the entire project will cost an estimated $135,216.

He said through federal tax incentives, the net cost to the city will be $71,088.

Koehn said the energy bill for the building is roughly $80,000 annually. He said the solar panels should offset around $2,666 each year at current rates and usage, although he said the panels very likely will produce more than 30,000 kwh a year.

Koehn's concern is the estimate is based on average days of sunshine in the United States

"We, of course, receive an above average number of sunny days in Flagstaff," said Koehn.

City Hall was selected by the city and APS Energy Services because the facility is responsible for a considerable portion of the city's total utility expenditures.

The city estimates it uses 1 million kwh at City Hall alone.

According to city officials, the 15kw solar array is split between the southeast and southwest sections of City Hall.

The southwest array will consist of 2,737 square feet of solar panels mounted on a 12-foot-wide covered walkway running the length of the existing sidewalk from the west parking lot to the southwest entrance. The roof of the structure will be oriented at a 35-degree angle to the south, and result in approximately 13kw of power.

Rick Bender, the energy manager for APS Energy Services, said the utility will upgrade some of the facilities at City Hall to coincide with panel installation.

The city will also have a public display in City Hall monitoring the panels' current and total electricity production.


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J. Ferguson can be reached at jferguson@azdailysun.com or 556-2253.