Solar Array

Solar panels on the roof of Gwynedd Preserve management center

by Tim Parkany, Regional Director of Building Stewardship.

Our Building Stewardship staff members have put the finishing touches on our first solar array, which was installed on an addition to the management center at our Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve. The panels generate enough power to serve the entire management center.

There is a meter on the electrical inverter that keeps track of how many pounds of carbon dioxide emissions the panels save the world. The inverter also tells the current output of the panels and keep track of the total amount of electricity generated since the panels were activated and hooked to the PECO grid.

The most commonly asked question is, “How much money will the panels save and will they pay for themselves?” As we watch the numbers on the emissions meter grow every day, I have no doubt the panels will pay for themselves not only in money saved on buying electricity for Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve, but also in the carbon dioxide that is not produced!

This initiative is part of Natural Lands Trust’s commitment to sustainability in all of our practices.