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Solar Array Powers Up Brooklyn Building BROOKLYN, New York, October 17, 2002 (ENS) - New York City's largest commercial rooftop solar power system has begun generating electricity atop a rehabilitated industrial building in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. The solar panel array was unveiled on October 7 by the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC). The rooftop solar panels transform sunlight into electricity, generating clean electrical power.
The total solar system will be located on the roof of two GMDC buildings. It includes a 59 kilowatt (kW) array at GMDC's Humboldt Street location and a 56 kW array that will be operational at GMDC's Manhattan Avenue building within the next several months. GMDC, Clean Air Communities, the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), Con Edison, and PowerLight Corporation joined with U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and other dignitaries to launch the project. "This is an important event for our community," said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who represents Greenpoint in Washington. "Solar power reduces emissions from fossil fuel burning power plants where children's asthma and other respiratory ailments are high." "It introduces innovative technology for environmental justice by reducing the number of power plants in our community," Valazquez said. "And, it demonstrates renewable energy sources to move us away from dependence on foreign fuel sources. I am very excited about the future that I see here!" The $900,000 system was built and installed by PowerLight Corporation of Berkeley, California, using state of the art solar technology and zinc bromide batteries. The photovoltaic panels and advanced battery will work as a solar energy system to generate and store electricity in coordination with Con Edison's network system. The 115 kilowatt solar power system covers 11,500 square feet of roof area and reduces the peak electricity demand on New York's power grid while improving local air quality. When fully powered, the solar system will generate the equivalent energy to light 100 homes. The system will avoid thousands of tons of harmful emissions that contribute to fine particle pollution, smog, global warming, acid rain and haze. Fine airborne particles and soot cause thousands of premature deaths and asthma attacks in New York each year.
To the extent the system displaces fossil fuel electricity, it will eliminate 1,456 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over its 25 year lifetime - a reduction equivalent to planting 16 acres of trees. "This project demonstrates that preserving urban manufacturing can be compatible with community revitalization and environmental responsibility," said David Sweeny, CEO of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center. "We're particularly excited that we can do this in Greenpoint, which has historically been home to some of the City's worst environmental problems." The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates industrial buildings and focuses on creating and maintaining high quality, blue collar jobs for low income New Yorkers. Funding for the solar project is provided through a joint partnership of NYSERDA, GMDC and a Clean Air Communities grant from Con Edison. "Governor George Pataki's mandate to NYSERDA is clear: improve New York's energy efficiency, while protecting our environment and solidifying our state's economic base," said NYSERDA president William Flynn. "This project addresses all three of those goals, and NYSERDA has contributed $300,000 to see it become a reality." Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All rights reserved. |
The GMDC building at Humboldt Street (Photo courtesy 
PowerLight solar rooftop system, not in Brooklyn (Photo courtesy 