RALEIGH, N.C.
The City of Raleigh has announced that construction has begun on a 500-kilowatt solar energy system at the Raleigh Convention Center. The rooftop system will be the city’s largest urban solar energy system.
When completed in April, 2080 photovoltaic panels covering approximately 60 percent of the convention center’s roof will produce an estimated 725,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. That will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 500 tons annually. This is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from about 100 passenger vehicles.
The Raleigh Convention Center’s solar energy system joins the city’s 10 other solar energy systems. The City’s portfolio presently has the capacity of more than 2.15 megawatts.
The Raleigh Convention Center achieved a silver certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is one of only seven convention centers in the country to have achieved any level of certification in the LEED rating system.
