Iowa City, Iowa – The Iowa City Public Works building has recently added rooftop solar panels to generate substantial energy. In its initial weeks of operation, this solar array has already produced over one megawatt of power, which is equivalent to planting approximately 12 trees in terms of environmental benefit.

According to Sarah Gardner, Iowa City Climate Action Coordinator, the vision was to construct the building in a way that could support solar energy on its roof. This solar array, with a 40-kilowatt power capacity, is designed to fulfill all of the facility’s energy requirements under typical conditions.

Gardner explained that these panels can harness solar energy both on sunny and cloudy days, during summer and winter, with the only limitation being daytime operation. The project’s design phase took nearly a year, while the actual installation was relatively quick.

Funding for this green initiative came from local tax dollars and the General Operating funds, and it is expected to lead to energy cost savings and contribute to the city’s climate goals.