Aerial view of Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island, where solar panels were recently installed.
The Nebraska State Fair board have approved a deal to add solar panels to the Nebraska Building, where the fair’s administrative offices are located.
Although contractors from J-Tech Solar, provider of the panels, estimate it will save the Grand Island, Neb., fair $3,000 to $3,500 in electrical utility expenses, the main goal of the project is to educate attendees and further its sustainability commitment.
The fair began recycling used fryer oils in the 1990s and progressed to become a Zero Waste Event in 2014, 2015 and 2016. It recycles 90 percent of aluminum, cardboard, plastic bottles, paper and livestock bedding. In 2016, this included 1.56 tons of plastic; 2.53 tons of cardboard; 4.91 tons of co-mingled plastic, cardboard and aluminum; 1,033 tons of animal waste and bedding; 900 gallons of used fryer oil; 1,088 pounds of aluminum cans; and 1,300 pounds of food waste compost.
As part of the agreement, J-Tech Solar, a subsidiary of J-Tech Construction with offices in Lincoln and Grand Island, Neb., also has a sponsorship deal to serve as the fair’s sustainability partner for the next 10 years, paying $7,500 a year for a sustainability tent and $10,000 in kind for the solar system as part of the arrangement.
“J-Tech approached us to become involved with a sustainability pavilion, and we put together a sponsorship for its naming rights,” said Shaun Schlief, fair marketing and sponsorship director. “Through that conversation, we talked about putting solar panels on the Nebraska Building, which houses our administrative offices and Raising Nebraska exhibit.”
J-Tech installed an array of solar panels on the building’s south side free of charge as part of the agreement.
“I designed a 24.6 kw per hour system, which is the maximum for a meter in Nebraska,” said Drew Coffey, J-Tech Solar’s head of solar design and procurement. “With this system, the fair will pay $3,300 in energy costs annually, which means the return on investment is about 10-1/2 years; these systems are designed to last 40 to 50 years.”
The system includes 280W Canadian Solar CS6K Premium Modules; Enphase M250 Microinverters; an S-5 Standing Seam Roof Mount; and an Enphase Envoy-S Communications System.
“The fair facility managers have been big advocates for pushing sustainability, and much of the motivation is to promote the event to a younger crowd,” said Coffey.
The fair’s Marketplace Sustainability Pavilion, covered by a canopy of scrap fabrics treated with a chemical to improve air quality, includes exhibits that highlight ways to give new life to building and agricultural materials; explores sustainable practices for urban and agricultural resources; and includes information on recycling and waste management.
“We do a lot of education at the state fair on recycling, composting, wormaculture and sustainable practices people can do at home, on the farm and in their community and workplace,” said Jaime Parr, fair facilities director. “The solar project also has a real-time phone app we can link to our website to see how much energy is being generated by our solar panels and the impact on our carbon footprint.”
“We’re hoping to get more solar in the Grand Island community with this project,” said Parr. “We’re tapping into the municipal grid and hoping to clear a path so citizens can do the same on their own.”