An update on the Bantam Solar project

Posted by Josh Randt on October 15, 2015

We’ve been busy the past couple of months getting the solar panels for the Bantam Solar project with the City of Rockford installed.
 

The panels aren’t quite producing energy yet, but they can be seen on top of the Rockford City Center Mall located off of Highway 55 just in front of Wright-Hennepin’s (WH) headquarters. Even more visible are the panels blanketing the landscape near the water tower on the west side of Rockford.
 

WH contractors worked diligently installing 60 panels on top of the Rockford City Center Mall that will help offset the city’s electric costs by an average of $5,200 annually.

The (almost) finished product on top of the Rockford City Center Mall. While they haven't been wired yet, these panels are expected to begin harnessing the sun's energy before the end of the year.

Once contractors got started, it didn't take long for more than 200 solar panels to populate the land just south of Rockford's west-end water tower. Installation of the panels wrapped up on October 2, though it is not yet wired. 

A closeup of the panels next to the water tower that will help cover 67 percent of the city's electric use. Notice the difference in the arrangement of the panels at this site compared to the panels on top of the City Center Mall. The city allowed WH to install the panels on city-owned property that is otherwise considered unusable. In return, the City of Rockford will receive a 7 percent discount on its electric account for the 25-year span of the contract.