As renewable energy technology costs lower, more local governments are embracing the opportunity to become solar-powered and reduce their monthly energy bills. In 2017, Vigo County completed the construction of its solar-powered Solid Waste District Management building. Most of the year, 50 solar panels provide 100% of the building’s energy needs and support two solar-powered generators.
| Action | Applicable Resources |
|---|---|
Build support for renewable energy in the community
|
|
Upgrade operations to support on-site renewable energy installations
|
|
Incorporate renewable energy into resilience planning
|
|
Solar power can provide clean, renewable energy for facilities and many components of solar energy systems qualify for incentives, exemptions and credits in Indiana. In 2013, the Clay-Owen-Vigo tri-county solid waste district split and Vigo County was soon in need of a building to house its program. Tasked by its board with constructing a green building and ensuring all power came from renewable resources, the Vigo County solid waste team sought to build a new, solar-powered headquarters with solar-powered generators to increase resilience.
To start, the County connected with One Planet Solar based in Terre Haute, Indiana. The company led a lunch-and-learn on solar basics so the County could make informed decisions about how many panels to plan for and how much power they could expect. In the end, the project called for a design grid-tie system using in-phase micro-inverters and fifty 290-watt solar panels that have a 25-year warranty. Since the Vigo County Solid Waste Management District is a nonprofit, they were not able to take advantage of most of Indiana’s incentives, such as the 30% Business Energy Investment Tax Credit at the time of the building’s construction.
The 2,400 square-foot pole barn style building was designed in-house, and includes two offices, a conference room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and workspace. Due to spacing restrictions on the project’s land, the building is oriented east-west, as opposed to the preferred north-south for roof-top solar installations. The design minimized electrical load by incorporating radiant heating in the floor and eliminating all duct work. To increase resilience, the team added two solar-powered generators for use by government buildings and powering the Vigo County Solid Waste Management District’s critical load until utility services are restored.
The total cost of the project was $200,000. The building and solar panels were funded by tipping fees—for every ton of trash collected in the county, the Solid Waste District gets $0.75. Because Vigo County separated its waste district from Owen and Clay counties in 2013, spending was limited and the collected tipping fees were saved for renewable projects such as this building.
Vigo County started construction in November 2016 and finished in March 2017. The solar panels were installed upon the building’s completion.
In 2018, energy production from the solar panels offset 16,372 pounds of carbon, saving the equivalent of almost 9,000 pounds of coal. The solar panels produced 11,500 kWh for the building in 2018, which amounts to more than $1,000 in savings. Vigo County is able to track these and other metrics through the EnPhase Energy program, which was installed with the solar panels. The Vigo County Highway Department has taken advantage of the solar generators during power outages, allowing for roads to remain open and managed. In Vigo County, roads see increased use during outages.
The project manager did not identify any challenges or barriers during this project but did mention that having a supportive board was key to their solar success. The Vigo County Solid Waste Management District is a technically a nonprofit with a board comprised of three county commissioners, the mayor of the largest city in the county, a member of the largest city’s council, and a member of the county council. Vigo County’s board was very supportive of sustainable design and solar power for this project.
Director of Solid Waste, Kathy Kinney, who managed the solar installation project, stated, "We planned for expanding the solar array, and we should have planned for expansion of electricity needs in the building. If I had to do it all over again, I would have increased the overall electricity capacity and upgraded the wiring in the initial building design. For example, I would have adjusted from single to three phase power.”
For more information about Vigo County's solar project, contact:
Kathy Kinney
Director of Solid Waste, Vigo County Solid Waste District
kathy.kinney@vigocounty.in.gov
812-231-4451
