Since 2003, the City of Allen has been actively taking steps to reduce the energy consumed by City owned facilities and has developed a strategy to improve our energy efficiency. We have audited our energy consumption, taken a benchmark of our energy usage, and analyzed our energy management practices against other cities in Texas and across the United States. We used this data to identify projects and actions that will allow us to use energy more wisely and save tax payer dollars. One of the energy saving projects identified from the energy audit included the installation of solar photovoltaic modules on the roofs of the existing Municipal Courts/Parks & Recreation (MCPAR) Building and the proposed Service Center. The installation for the photovoltaic system for the MCPAR building began late January and is scheduled to be complete by the end of February. Ninety US manufactured solar photovoltaic modules will be were configured into a 1600 square foot grid and mounted onto the south facing standing seam metal roof. The 20 kilowatt system is projected to generate about 27000 kilowatt-hours annually, which is the equivalent of the following (per the EPAs greenhouse gas equivalency calculator): reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 39020 pounds per year, planting 4.9 acres of trees, taking 3.0 cars off the road, removing 94 pounds of sulfur dioxide from the air per year, and removing 26 pounds of nitrogen oxide from the air per year. As a result of the US Department of …
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