Santa Clara Fire Station powers up with green energy

The building was designed by the Aedis Group of San Jose. Working with the electrical contractor, Northern States Electric, Power Solutions selected American-made Sharp photovoltaic panels for the project. Using 40 Sharp ND208U1 panels with two SMA-America 4000US inverters, the system will generate 12,197 kilowatts during the year. A monitoring system from Fat Spaniel will allow web-based tracking of the system's production from any computer.

José Radzinsky, CEO of Power Solutions, said, "This system was designed to maximize the usage of roof space available. We anticipate that it will generate a significant portion of the new building's energy use for many years to come. We are pleased to support the City of Santa Clara's pursuit of environmental best practices and carbon-free power production."

Nestor Sohnlein, Vice President of Power Solutions, said, "The installation process was straight forward, we coordinated with the General Contractor and other sub-contractors throughout the contraction process and finished on time."

As a money saving feature, composite shingles were installed on the roof below the solar installation, while a Spanish tile roof covers the rest of the building.

Power Solutions specializes in solar energy generation, engineering and installing alternative energy systems for residential, commercial, governmental and non-profit needs. The company, established in 1998, has since installed nearly 2 megawatts of power in California.