By Greentech Lead America: Bella Energy, a solar
developer and renewable energy provider, has completed the 1.65 megawatt solar
array atop the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake
City, UT. Covering 3.85 acres of rooftop, it is the largest solar array in the
State of Utah.
The solar project consists of 6,006 solar modules. The
project is estimated to generate 2.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity in
its first year, covering approximately 17 percent of the Salt Palace’s annual
electrical usage.
The construction of the project began in December of 2011
and completed within 6 months. The project is currently the largest solar
photovoltaic system on Rocky Mountain Power’s entire electric grid.
“This is a monumental achievement by all parties
involved. Building a project of this scale in Utah is a wonderful
accomplishment resulting from the hard work of countless people. Bella Energy
looks forward to continuing to develop other large scale projects, helping
people and organizations save money in Utah, across the United States, and
around the world,” said Jim Welch, CEO of Bella Energy.
The project is the result of efforts from multiple
parties including, Salt Lake County, Bella Energy, CarbonFree Technology, Chase
Bank, Rocky Mountain Power, the National Development Council, Zions Bank,
Ballard Spahr, Suntech, Solectria Renewables, and Unirac.
Financing the 1.65 megawatt project was achieved using a
mix of grants, bonds, public and private capital. The project is one of the
first solar projects in the nation to utilize the New Market Tax Credit.
“Financing this project required a lot of sweat
equity and 14 months of hard work to develop a funding package that would
satisfy the needs each party,” said Andrew McKenna, executive vice
president of Bella Energy.