City of Brooklyn Park
Challenge
The City of Brooklyn Park has a long history of focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability. In 2009 they invested in converting their ice arena refrigeration system into a unique geothermal refrigeration plant that was copied by South Korea for their 2018 Winter Olympics ice arena.
They continued this spirit of innovation and desire for enhanced sustainability with their 2018 solar PV project with Apex. The project consisted of six different sites within the City, totaling 1.5 MW of solar. In addition to this project, they also worked with Apex on a small second phase solar project at their Fire Station which consisted of another 40 kW of rooftop solar. All of these systems are building connected systems, connected behind the meter.
Our Solution
Apex got the City to think about solar when they acted as the City’s Construction Manager/Owner’s Rep on the Police Station remodel and expansion. Apex made sure that the Police Station addition was built to accommodate rooftop solar. When that project was complete, the City engaged Apex to investigate potential solar opportunities. Our solar designers and engineers created a custom solar installation for them. After the designs were complete, Apex worked with a number of third party tax investors to develop the optimal financial package for the City.
Final Result
By installing solar PV systems throughout the City the City of Brooklyn Park demonstrated their leadership in renewable energy. When the systems were complete, Brooklyn Park was the largest municipal solar installation in the State of Minnesota. They are a great example of what effective leadership and vision can accomplish.
PROJECT NUMBERS:
Project Savings: $37,000 Annually
O&M Savings: $9,800 Annually
System Size: 1.5 MW
Renewable Energy Produced: 1.1 Million kWh/Yr.
“The City of Brooklyn Park is proud to have the largest municipal solar installation in the State of Minnesota. Apex played a significant role in us achieving this accomplishment. Their analysis of different sites and solar options allowed us to look at different possibilities. along with their recommendations and the experience they brought to the table is what allowed us to make informed decisions and was the key to making this project a huge success.”
