PITTSBURGH, PA – Northern Sound & Light (NSL) has invested in a new solar power system as part of a larger green strategy for the firm. NSL's solar power system is comprised of 117 photovoltaic solar panels feeding three current inverters. The 117 panels cover nearly the entire southern facing roof of NSL's facility. The system is estimated to produce approximately 25,170 kW annual average, enough electricity that NSL will achieve energy-positive status and be able to sell electricity back to the utility. "We are always focused on long-term savings, so this investment in renewable solar energy makes sense for us," said Steve Raslevich, owner and president of NSL. "Since half of our roof is now under the shade of panels, our HVAC system doesn't work as hard in the summer. We're also cutting our lighting load in half by a facility-wide change to compact fluorescent and LED lighting. The new lighting fixtures will emit much less heat than conventional lighting fixtures, further reducing our HVAC load. As we reduce our operating costs, we pass those savings along to our customers."
The design, engineering, and installation was conducted by Solar Power Industries of Belle Vernon, Penn. NSL chose Solar Power Industries due to their ability to manufacture locally, provide turnkey systems, and their quality engineering services. According to Jared Lyons, electrical engineer for the company, the NSL solar panel installation is the third largest system in operation in the greater Pittsburgh area. "Return on investment is a big consideration, especially given the escalating cost of electricity that will occur when rate caps come off at the end of 2010," said Lyons, who served as system designer and project manager on the NSL install.
Advanced system metering means that Raslevich and his staff can monitor power usage via the Internet, and try to reduce their load during peak times. NSL is also investing in other green activities such as recyclable shopping bags and investigating as many options as possible to green their business practices.
Upfront cost for the solar panel system were offset thanks to rebates from the Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Program, which provides rebates to help fund solar electric and solar thermal projects for homeowners and small businesses in Pennsylvania.
For more information, please visit www.northernsound.net.
