Solar Photovoltaics (PV)

Solar installation on the
Salt Palace Convention Center

This technology converts solar energy directly into electricity. Seven County facilities currently have PV installations and we are pleased to announce the completion of the unprecedented solar photovoltaic (PV) installation on the Calvin R. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center. This 1.65 MW installation is one of the largest solar roof top installations in the country and will more than double the current installed solar capacity in the state of Utah. The 4.5 acres of solar panels will offset approximately 17% of the Salt Palace’s annual electricity consumption and is estimated to save upwards of $2.4 million in energy costs over the life of the panels.

The County accomplished this project using a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) financing model. In a PPA model a third-party solar developer finances, develops, owns, operates, and maintains the solar array. Salt Lake County leases its roof, and purchases the power from this third-party under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement contract.  Learn more about this project.

Solar Hot Water

The County’s Sorenson Recreation Center is the first facility with a solar hot water system.  Using the sun this system heats the water in the two indoor swimming pools. It keeps the swimming pools warm and dramatically reduces the amount of electricity and natural gas that traditional boiler systems use to keep pools warm.

Solar Salt Lake Project

SLCo is proud to partner with Salt Lake City, Utah Clean Energy, and others on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Salt Lake Project. This project focuses on developing innovative financing mechanisms and addressing regulatory barriers to solar in Utah. In addition, the DOE chose Salt Lake as the host city for the 2010 Solar America Cities annual meeting.

Geothermal

From the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat this renewable energy source uses power extracted from heat stored in the earth to power buildings. When completed, the Magna Senior Center and the Millcreek Recreation Center will be the first two County facilities to be equipped with geothermal systems.

Lighting

All County-owned traffic signal lights have been replaced with more efficient LED lighting. In addition, federal stimulus funds will be used to upgrade approximately 300 street lights with induction lighting. Additional street lights will be purchased from Rocky Mountain Power this year and upgraded.  When this project is completed the County expects to save approximately 1 million Kwh of energy each year.  In addition, the County has upgraded lighting at various facilities which will not only reduce our energy usage but will save nearly $2 million over the next ten years.

Net Metering

"Net", in this context, means, "what remains after deductions." To put it simply, a facility can produce energy from a renewable energy source, like solar, and can feed that energy back into the grid and sell it back to the utility company. In the 2008 Utah legislative session, the net metering law was changed. Now the law states that a commercial facility can now install up to 2MW (megawatts) of solar. Learn more about net metering in Utah.