Bella Energy is proud to announce the completion of 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, the project is currently the largest solar photovoltaic system on Rocky Mountain Power’s entire electric grid. It is also the largest solar array in the State of Utah.
“This is a monumental achievement by all parties involved,” said Jim Welch, CEO of Bella Energy. “Building a project of this scale in Utah is a wonderful accomplishment resulting from the hard work of countless people. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the project for all their efforts. 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.”
“This solar project boosts the county’s clean energy goals while benefiting our pocketbooks,” said Mayor Corroon, Mayor of Salt Lake County. “Together, we can make solar an integral part of our bright, prosperous and resilient energy future.”
The 6,006 solar modules will produce an estimated 2.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year, covering approximately 17% of the Salt Palace’s annual electrical usage. Project development began in 2010, construction began in December of 2011 and took about 6 months to complete. The array required more than 14,000 man-hours from local labor. There were zero change orders, zero OSHA violations and no injuries. 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 also holds the distinction of being 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. “I’m thrilled to finally see all that hard work capturing the power of the sun.”