jan-2018

50 51 period, what we’re hoping to do is use a portion of the energy savings to be able to support a cap- ital replacement of the actual things that were installed, so that we can replace them when they begin to fail.We’re already seeing some savings in facilities that already have been converted. For instance, in our Civic Center’s arena, we had 250-some incandescent and high pressure sodi- um fixtures in there that were reduced down to 54 LEDs, and I’ve been told that their power bill has been reduced by half, already, just from the electrical savings from those fixtures, them- selves.” Currently, in Minnesota, there is a boom in proposals for community solar gardens, linked to a 2013 state law that required Minneapo- lis-based Xcel Energy to develop such offer- ings, as well as another state law that requires investor-owned utilities to get 1.5 percent of their energy from solar by 2020. Solar garden developers responded with enthusiasm, bom- barding cities with proposals to build solar ar- rays on city land and inviting them to subscribe to the power produced by solar projects. “We were approached by a couple of differ- ent solar companies, so we did a little research when we were trying to look for ways in which we could support this technology and the use of solar in Minnesota,” says Fournier. “We ended up working out an arrangement with Geroni- mo Energy to get a guaranteed payback of the credits that they receive for their solar garden. Essentially, Geronimo Energy constructs these solar gardens, which then produce energy which MANKATO, MINNESOTA JT Services157 Mary Circle, North Mankato, MN 56003 P: 507-387-5962 • F: 507-387-5702 Email: Tvavra@jtservicesmn.com (Tom - President, Outside Sales) Katie@jtservicesmn.com (Katie - Office Manager, Inside Sales) Cvavra@jtservicesmn.com (Corin - Outside Sales) JT Services is an electrical distributor, with a main focus in outdoor lighting. We have been selling to Municipals, Cities, and Private Users since 2001. Contact us for all your lighting needs, everything from roadways to private parking lots, and retrofitting to LED. RESPECT | FLEXIBILITY | COMMUNICATION | COLLABORATION | TRUST | AT KNUTSON, WE’RE LEADING THE WAY IN INNOVATIVE IDEAS. WE SEE A WAY TO CREATE A MASTERPIECE FROM YOUR VISION. Mankato East High School