RLC announces completion of solar panel installation – Centralia Morning Sentinel

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SOLAR PANEL ARRAY — Rend Lake College announced Thursday that the installation of an additional solar panel array on the Ina campus has been completed.

INA — Rend Lake College announced Thursday that the installation of an additional solar array on the Ina campus has been completed.

According to a press release from RLC, Rend Lake College partnered with SunVolt Solar Inc. for the purchase and installation of a $130,000 solar array. This is the second network of this type installed on the main campus of Ina de RLC. RLC officials estimate the college’s energy savings for the first year will be $4,300 and over 25 years the savings are estimated at $138,000.

The new panels are located next to the existing solar panel system, in an area close to the Center for Agricultural Innovation and the Center for Applied Sciences. The new solar array will not only reduce the college’s energy consumption, but also serve as a positive example for surrounding communities to work toward energy sustainability and environmental awareness, Sentinel archives state.

The purchase of this solar panel was funded through a grant from the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN). Formed in 2008, IGEN is a consortium of Illinois’ 39 community college districts with a mission to provide a platform for collaboration among all of these colleges and their partners to drive growth in the green economy, the release states. Press.

Also Thursday, RLC announced that the college had replaced 1,887 light fixtures with upgraded, energy-efficient LED lighting throughout campus. The replacements feature high-efficiency drivers and will consume approximately 161,900 kWh per year, an RLC press release states.

The replacements, which cost $129,071, were also funded through a grant from IGEN. Campus buildings that received the LEDs include the Learning Resource Center, Science Building, Applied Science and Technology Center, Academic Building, Administration Building, Professional Building, Agricultural Innovation Center and the student center, the release said.

This project is an important step in RLC’s goal of replacing all lighting fixtures on campus. Previous estimates indicated the college would achieve an estimated energy savings from appliance replacement of 153,750 kWh per year and cost savings of more than $9,500 per year, according to Sentinel records.

Kim Wilkerson, RLC vice president of CTE and student support, made remarks Thursday about the solar array and LED lighting upgrades.

“The funds provided allow us to lighten our carbon footprint, be more environmentally conscious and better manage our tax dollars with these additional energy sources and savings,” Wilkerson said.

For more information on these projects, contact Rend Lake College.

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