Jefferson Area Business Center
Jefferson, Wisconsin
A big investment a decade ago in sustainable energy has continued to pay dividends for the Jefferson Area Business Center and the community at large, saving one million pounds of carbon emissions from going into the atmosphere.
Owner Steve Lewis started 10 years ago with 99 solar panels. That investment paid off so well that he added another 304 solar panels on the top of his building in the fall of 2020. With the increased solar energy coming in, I’ll now be able to save a million pounds of carbon from going into the atmosphere every three years.
The new panels are even more efficient than the original ones. The original ones had only one side that captured the sunlight. The new ones are “bifacial,” capturing light directly from the sun and also a smaller amount that reflects back up from the roof. “That adds another 7 percent benefit,”
I am proud of the decision I made a decade-plus ago to pursue sustainable energy and hope more individuals, companies and organizations follow this example — to their own benefit and that of the community and world.
Technical Specifications:
Installed Fall 2020
System Size 112kWdc
304-370W Bifacial Modules
Electricity Offset =80%
25 Year Production =3,175,500kWh
Return on Investment =350%
Est Payback Period =7.7 Years
Est Annual CO2 Offset =88.5 Tons
