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WisconSUN Case Study:
Society of Friends Meeting House, Madison
- Owner: Madison Gas & Electric
- Site: Friends Meeting House, Madison, WI
- Size: 3.6 kW, thirty 120 watt Uni-Solar panels
- Design: Standing seam integrated PV roofing panels
- Installed: June 2000
- Installers: Innovative Power Systems and H&H Electric Co.
The Friends Meeting House is the first church in Wisconsin to have a building integrated photovoltaic (PV) energy system. The Meeting House needed its roof replaced, and Madison Gas and Electric Co. (MG&E) offered to install a PV roof. The new roof adds an aesthetically pleasing element to the building and generates clean power, which reflects the environmental concerns of the Madison Friends.
The PV system was installed for and paid by MG&E as part of their PV pilot project. WisconSUN provided co-funding for the project. MG&E is investigating PV as a component of their future electricity generation mix. MG&E's pilot PV systems are located among its customers in the urban Madison setting on unused rooftops.
Ten percent of the Friends Meeting House system's power production will be donated to the Meeting House. After ten years the PV system will be available to the Meeting House at a significantly reduced cost.
The Uni-Solar PV standing seam roofing has a 20-year warrantee. It provides reliable shelter from the rain and should produce roughly 5,000 kWh of power annually for 40 years.
Interested individuals are invited to view the system. It is located at 1704 Roberts Court, which is just off Monroe Street in Madison. The roof may be viewed best from the sidewalk on Roberts Court. The Madison Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends reminds visitors who come to view the roof that the Meeting House functions as a place of worship (especially on Wednesdays and Sundays). If you are interested in the performance of the system at Friends Meeting House, please direct your questions to Mr. David Toso, Madison Gas and Electric, phone 608.252.5641, or e-mail dtoso@mge.com.
Photo credit
Madison Gas and Electric Co.
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