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GVR will hold a forum Thursday to address questions about a solar panel installation project that could begin as early as September and last much of a year.
The $4 million project, financed by manufacturer Solaris Energy, will install 11 solar panel projects at 10 GVR sites.
Members can expect restricted access to centers during construction, said Miles Waterbury, communications specialist at GVR, but no closures are anticipated. Rooftop, or carport solar panels will be installed at the following locations by Solar Gain, the designer and installer, which also will have representatives at the meeting.
•Santa Rita Springs Center
•GVR Administrative Office
The forum is at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the West Center Auditorium.
Once every center is up and running, the projected first year of savings is about $90,000, according to GVR.
Pima County has had 20 solar panel installations at various facilities since August 2010. So far, the county has saved $219,891 in energy consumption. Although the initial installation didn’t cost anything, three installations and four meters “show negative savings,” according to a memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry dated July 9. The county is investigating the anomaly.
After more than a year of planning, the GVR board unanimously approved the project June 26.
Each individual GVR center project, once individually approved, has a 180 day timeframe for completion.
The process of capturing solar energy, then selling it back to Tucson Electric Power to offset energy costs, is highly regulated, GVR CEO Kent Blumenthal said in June.
Each site will have to be approved by TEP as well as GVR’s architectural engineering firm before it moves ahead.
Local HOAs will weigh in on neighborhood projects because maintaining the visual integrity of sight lines is important, Blumenthal said. Green Valley Council will be next in line to sign off on the installations.
Solar Gain, a Tucson-based solar panel design and installation firm, will manage the GVR project.
Jeremiah Mosij, marketing and sales director at Solar Gain, said in June within the first year of usage, each site will receive about 87 percent of its energy from solar energy. Officials from Solar Gain did not return requests for follow-up information.
Installing a rooftop panel is the first choice, because its cheaper, Mosij said. However, if a carport panel is installed, it will add shady areas to facility parking lots.
From start to finish, the installation process will take about a year, Waterbury said via email.
“We could see completion of the entire project by spring/summer of 2019, depending on the timing of approved plans.”
Blumenthal praised the board in late June for wading through more than a year’s worth of work towards a solar option for its facilities.
GVR Board President Carol Crothers said although this project is a large undertaking, it’s also an exciting opportunity to reduce costs and make GVR’s operations much more environmentally friendly.
“It’s going to be a major job over the next year, but we’re all gung-ho to get going,” she said.
David J. Del Grande | 547-9732
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