Convention Center to go solar

The downtown facility will be installing the first of two solar panel systems on its roof to generate renewable energy for the area. An inverter power pack and chiller for the 30 kilowatt solar panel system will be lowered by helicopter onto the roof.

Convention Center spokesman Jason Bourgoyne said the solar power system will be tied into the TVA-KUB power network and also will meet part of the Convention Center's electricity needs.

The building, which cost $93 million to construct, houses a 30,000-square-foot ballroom that can seat 1,900 people, 120,000 square feet of exhibit space, 13 meeting rooms and a 460-seat lecture hall. It opened in 2002.