Metco Engineering
Dallas, TX 75219
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North Central Police Station
Project Information
- Project Location:
- Dallas, TX
- Approx Contract:
- $300,000
- Status:
- Completed
- Structure Type:
- Fire / Police Station
Scope Of Work
Emergency response, crime watch and crisis task force demand availability round the clock. With systems running 24/7, high utility bills are a norm. In order to reduce long-term expenditure on this front Dallas Police Station partnered with METCO to implement a cost-effective solution with lasting benefits.
Solar PV systems were installed in the facility to meet 50% of energy requirements of the building. These systems were wired to the transmission grid sharing half of the load with the mains. This enabled the facility to rely primarily on the solar power thereby reducing electricity bills.
METCO installed 304 solar panel modules on the rooftop without battery or generator backup. These panels produce 98.8 kW splitting the load with AC mains. In event of weather changes and during night time, when the solar panels are unable to harness the power of the sun, the main grid revs into action. This serves as a backup for solar power. Battery backup grid-connected system was opted out due to the hassle of battery charge/discharge. This also reduces the efficiency by 10%. Additionally, batteries increase installation costs and require maintenance.
The grid-connected solar PV panels were up and running by the end of the project timeline delivering the same quality of AC current that is produced by the main transmission.
