Bank spends wisely on solar power

This commercial building is home to a local bank and located at one of the busiest crossroads in Cedar Rapids. Thus, it was important for the installer to design a solar panel system that delivered an appealing, unobtrusive and integrated aesthetic.

After consulting with Panasonic Elite Installer, Energy Consultants Group LLC, the folks at Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust selected Panasonic HIT® 330W high efficiency solar modules due to their reputation for quality, reliable long-term performance and sleek look. Enphase IQ7X 240V microinverters convert the DC power from the solar panels into AC power.

"We simply identified the best installer in Iowa and wanted the best equipment money can buy with no operating issues," said Bret Dally, the bank’s Facilities Manager. “And that choice was Panasonic panels offered and installed by ECG Solar.”

From an architectural and visual perspective, the Panasonic panels blended nicely into the building’s roofscape. Coupled with a symmetrical design layout and using a rackless system, ECG avoided placing a single penetration into the modern metal roofing system.

The 27.39 kW renewable Panasonic power plant will reduce the building’s electric bill by 42%. Even better, carbon dioxide (CO2) saved over 25 years will total a whopping 655 tons. That is equivalent to greenhouse gases removed from driving 1,310,000 auto miles, carbon sequestered by 800 acres of US forests, or displacing CO2 emissions from the annual electricity use of 74 homes.

“With this location completed to the customer’s total satisfaction,” said Jason Gideon, President of Energy Consultants Group, “we were awarded the job to install solar systems on three of the bank’s additional locations.”

That sounds like money well spent and well lent. And another win-win for small business, the local economy and the planet.