Florida renewables company Terrasmart and Ohio-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services business Melink Solar have completed the installation of a 2.8 MW solar carport at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Melink Solar, Terrasmart, and Cincinnati Zoo said the new development is currently the largest publicly accessible urban solar array in the United States.
The project’s racking system was designed and manufactured by Terrasmart. It comprises nearly 5,000 bifacial modules connected via string inverter technology. Melink Solar came on board to oversee mechanical installation at the site.
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden already has solar installed, and with the addition of the new carport it now has 4.55 MW in total. This capacity meets two-thirds of its power needs.
The new carport will provide shade for approximately 800 vehicles. Representatives for the zoo estimate that the solar systems will reduce the facility's annual power bill to around $300,000 by 2030 to 2032, down from $1.6 million in 2005.
“Solar technology, and our understanding of how to use it, has evolved dramatically since we erected our first solar array in 2006 on the zoo's education building,” said Mark Fisher, vice president of facilities, planning, and sustainability for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. “This new array is a good example of that. It occupies less physical space but will generate almost twice as much power as the current array. Now online, two-thirds of the zoo's electrical needs will come from our parking lots.”
The zoo has also financed an additional 165 kilowatts of solar panels through its Community Solar Resiliency Program to support smaller installations at local churches, community centers, and schools.
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