The installation of a 2.3 kW solar electric system at the Compadre branch of the boys and girls clubs of the East Valley, in the city of Chandler, Ariz. has been a collaborative effort by Aide Solar, which was the latest company to participate, DEGERenergie, and Fronius, with Hawkins Design Group and Solar City also chipping in. 

For this purpose, Aide Solar, a large-scale producer of photovoltaic modules, donated its 230 watt poly-crystalline black frame solar panels, a 5000HD dual axis tracker came from DEGERenergie, and Fronius donated a power inverter. The Hawkins Design Group donated the electrical system design, and installation services came from solar City.

In keeping with the project’s philanthropic nature, the City of Chandler waived all permit fees and streamlined the installation.

“We effectively reduce the cost of energy generation by ensuring the solar panels get the maximum amount of energy from the sun,” Chandler Mayor Boyd W. Dunn said.

The Mayor further added that the project was an example of how Chandler would continue its leadership role in developing policies and programs targeted at promoting higher energy efficiency in new and existing buildings.”

Appreciative of how the cooperative efforts and generosity of all the participating organizations had resulted in the production of clean renewable energy, the Mayor said that it was a great example for learning about sustainability.

Though the Boys and Girls Club organization is the primary user of the building, it is owned and managed by the City of Chandler. Having acquired a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certificate, the building has been Silver Certified through the Green Building Rating System.

LEED certification provides an independent authentication system for buildings designed to improve things like energy savings.

“We saw this as an opportunity to invest in the community from both a learning and technology perspective,” Raymond C. Wiley, director, North America Sales, Aide Solar, in the United States, and member of the Arizona Department of commerce’s Green Economy Advisory committee, said.

Wiley added that having the photovoltaic panels installed with sophisticated monitoring and tracking systems was a step closer to a Smart Grid, where the entire network was connected to the Internet.

Dedicated Nov. 16, 2009, the new building is 32,000 square feet and houses one of the largest Intel (News - Alert) computer clubhouses in the world, equipped with Intel donated computers.

Using Solar City’s SolarGuard Monitoring Service, computers at the facility continuously track and monitor the solar system’s performance in near real time. Even children can get to know the benefits of the solar system and calculate the savings that would accrue thereof.  

Chris Wahl, North American Sales Director, DEGERenergie GmbH said that that the dual axis solar tracker would generate at least 45 percent more energy than a conventional fixed array. The tracker ensures that the photovoltaic array is always aligned to the brightest spot in the sky, ensuring that the maximum amount of energy is always harvested. As a result, Wahl was confident that there would definitely be a reduction in the cost of energy generation.

Aide Solar is a large-scale producer of photovoltaic modules with North American headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. Based in Xuzhou City, China, Aide Solar was established in 2003, and became a subsidiary of the Taiwan-based Panjit Group in 2007. 

In a related news release, Aide Solar announced that its 180 watt mono crystalline solar panels have been installed at Nonprofit Organization “Horses Help” in Phoenix as part of a larger Urban Farm Model designed by the therapeutic riding center to conserve resources and control costs.