DEP adds solar energy system to roof | RenewablesBiz
Jul 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - George Hohmann Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va.

The first solar energy systems installed on a state government agency building are about to begin producing electricity and hot water at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's headquarters in Kanawha City.

The department has installed two systems on its roof: A solar photovoltaic system that converts sunlight into electricity and a solar thermal system that uses heat from the sun to warm glycol, which in turn heats water.

The solar photovoltaic system consists of 108 modules that are connected into an array that takes up just over 5 percent of the roof surface. The 25-kilowatt installation is expected to generate about 15 percent of the building's electricity needs, or about 30,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.

"That's like taking three 2,400-square-foot homes off the grid every year," said Greg Adolfson, the agency's sustainability officer.

Adolfson, who heads both solar projects, believes the photovoltaic system may produce enough electricity that the department will sell some to Appalachian Power Co. -- especially on weekends, when the building is almost empty.