Dane County Parks Headquarters, Others Turn to Sun for Power

June 06, 2017
Josh Wescott 608-266-9069
County Executive

New County Contract Draws on Local Companies to Further Renewable Energy Efforts While Stimulating the Economy

 

Today Dane County Executive Joe Parisi signed a contract with Maly Roofing and Full Spectrum Solar to replace the Fen Oak Office Building roof and install a solar power system at Lyman F. Anderson Agriculture and Conservation Center. Both Maly Roofing and Full Spectrum Solar are local companies based in Madison and will begin construction on Fen Oak Building’s roof and the photovoltaic array later this fall.

 

The Fen Oak Office Building is the current home to Dane County’s Land and Water Resources Department and University of Wisconsin-Extension Office. The contract, totaling $241,500, will further the county’s efforts to harness renewable energy by allowing 128 photovoltaic modules to be installed. Each module generates up to 270 watts of energy and will have the combined capacity to produce 34.56 kilowatts of power.

 

Plans for the Fen Oak Office Building roof and photovoltaic array were designed by Czarnecki Engineering and Structural Research, Inc. Both companies are also based in the state of Wisconsin.

 

The contract was approved by the Dane County Board of Supervisors late last week and adds to County Executive Parisi’s pursuit of a robust solar power program. In fact, due to the various renewable energy systems set to go online this year, Dane County will become 100% renewable, meaning the county will generate as much renewable energy as it uses.

 

In addition to this achievement, the County Executive announced in April he was requesting the Dane County Regional Airport to evaluate the feasibility of developing 30 acres of airport owned land into a large scale solar field. It would be the second biggest solar project in the state of Wisconsin and have the ability to generate over 6 megawatts of power.