Brian Bennett of Outback Solar Electric and Randy Hodel of Randy Hodel Inc. pause in their work to talk about the solar array they installed at the Gunflint Hills Golf Course this fall. Once broadband is installed, a website will be set up to show the system’s performance.
This fall, Brian Bennett of Outback Solar Electric completed the solar array installation of the largest Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) renewable energy project to date. The project includes 39 solar photovoltaic panels assembled by Silicon Energy in Mt. Iron, Minnesota, rated at 190 watts each.
The power generated by the array is grid tied, which means the electricity is fed directly back into the electric grid instead of into a battery storage system. Electric service at the Gunflint Hills Golf Course is provided by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, which purchases excess electricity produced, an arrangement set by state statute. The system is expected to save the city of Grand Marais, which owns the golf course, about $1,500 in electricity annually.
Bennett explained that under standard test conditions each panel is capable of producing 190 watts. A good standard test condition is sunny skies at noon with the temperature about 20-25 degrees C. (68 -70 degrees F.) When the conditions are different the panels can produce less on warmer days or more on colder days. So in the test conditions the 39-panel system can produce 7410 watts, which could light up about 322 compact fluorescent light bulbs (23 watt each) or about 435 TV and satellite dishes (85 watts each for a combined total of 170 watts).
Jonathan Hedstrom of Hedstrom E&E, Brian Bennett of Outback Solar Electric and David Bartz of Hedstrom E&E, stand next to the inverters at the 39-panel solar photovoltaic installation at Gunflint Hills Golf Course. The array, recently installed by Bennett, can produce enough electricity for two typical households or three energy efficient households for a year. Hedstrom E&E connected the array to the grid, operated by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.
CCLEP board member Don Grant reviewed the power situation another way. He said at this latitude one can figure about 3.5 sun hours a day which equals 1,260 sun hours a year. This times the capacity of the array (7.41 kW) is 9,337 kWh/year or 778 kWh/month. This amount of power is sufficient to power about two typical homes (without electric heat) for a year depending on usage.
Bennett also said that a typical grid-tied photovoltaic system could run about $5.00 a watt to $5.50 a watt for a small system.
The array is on a single axis tracker, which means it will track north and south with the sun. It is supported on seven poles that extend five feet into the ground to footings three feet square. Hedstrom E&E completed the electrical work to tie the array to the grid.
Once the system is up and running and broadband is available, an online website will be set up to monitor the performance. There will be links to this site from the City of Grand Marais and CCLEP websites. The site was selected because it is on city property, has good solar exposure and is in public view due to its location next to the Gunflint Trail.
The project is a partnership between the City of Grand Marais, Cook County, and Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB). CCLEP spearheaded the effort that started in the spring of 2010.
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