MDHA unveils solar arrays at Parthenon Towers | 2010-04-23
A rooftop solar energy installation at Parthenon Towers is a first for community-owned housing in Tennessee and will make MDHA the Nashville Electric Service's largest solar energy generator in Davidson County. It is the most recent of MDHA's efforts to improve resident comfort, reduce utility payments, and promote sustainability.
Mayor Karl Dean and a number of other local and state officials received an up-close tour of the project on Friday, April 23. Parthenon Towers is located at 301 28th Ave. N.
The solar installation consists of 280 photo-voltaic panels. Altogether, the panels cover almost 5,000 square feet of the building's roof. The panels are expected to produce more than 76,000 kWh of energy per year, which will be routed to NES's power grid.
In addition to Parthenon Towers, MDHA also will be installing some 300 solar panels at its Madison high-rise property. The solar arrays at Parthenon and Madison, plus a smaller installation at Edgefield Manor in East Nashville, will make MDHA the largest generator of solar power in the state of Tennessee and are estimated to produce enough energy to power a small neighborhood of houses for an entire year.
Generating and selling solar power is only a small piece of a much larger energy performance project on which MDHA has partnered with Siemens Industry, Inc. Also under way is the installation of high-efficiency variant refrigerant volume (VRV) heat pumps, tankless water heaters, lighting upgrades, and water-conserving plumbing upgrades. The overall project will essentially pay for itself through energy savings which Siemens guarantees. When all work is complete, MDHA will be saving approximately $1.65 million per year in avoided energy costs as a result of lower consumption.
"This is a very exciting project for our city because it reaffirms our commitment to the environment and to making Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast," said Mayor Karl Dean. "My goal is for Nashville to be a national leader in the area of sustainability, and with innovative thinking from every sector – business, government, individual and non-profit – we will move closer toward that goal."Added MDHA Executive Director Phil Ryan, "Our residents will be a lot more comfortable, at a much lower energy cost to MDHA. Just as important, we are doing our part to reduce Nashville's carbon footprint, which is another way of saying less imported oil and less reliance on coal and other non-renewable resources. Our energy savings will equate to preserving approximately 50 acres of forest, avoiding the consumption of 37 railcars of coal, and removing 1,300 cars from the road each year."
"It's also important to note," said Ryan, "that the solar panels we're utilizing were made at Sharp Corporation's Memphis plant, which means jobs for Tennesseans."
"The number of solar projects in the Nashville area has grown tremendously in the last six months and MDHA is helping to lead the charge with this major installation,” said Decosta Jenkins, president and CEO of NES. “We are glad to be able to offer a renewable option to customers that is good for the environment and for our local economy.”
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Top photo, left to right: MDHA Executive Director Phil Ryan, Mayor Karl Dean, and Chris Bowles, Director of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability
Bottom photo: An aerial view of the Parthenon Towers solar panels
Bottom photo: An aerial view of the Parthenon Towers solar panels
