03 Oct 2014
Emerson Center for Arts and Culture Cuts Power Bills with New Solar Array

Emerson Center for Arts and Culture Cuts Power Bills with New Solar Array

Rooftop Solar
The Emerson Center for Arts and Culture, a nonprofit community arts center housed in a 96-year-old former elementary school in Bozeman, now boasts a very modern element on its roof: a 30 kilowatt solar array, the largest in the Bozeman city limits. The solar array is net metered, meaning that when it produces more clean energy than the building needs, the excess flows onto the electric grid and the Emerson Center receives a credit on its power bill. Those bill savings are fed directly back into the Emerson Center’s programs: it houses art galleries, event spaces, and a large theater, and…
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30 May 2014
Billings Public Library solar array: "A gamble with no losing side"

Billings Public Library solar array: "A gamble with no losing side"

Community Scale, Rooftop Solar
The brand-new Billings Public Library, which opened in January 2014, features on its roof a 30 kilowatt solar photovoltaic array installed by MREA member business Bozeman Green Build. The solar array is net metered, meaning that when the solar panels produce more electricity than is needed in the building at any given moment, the excess power flows out onto the grid and the city receives a credit on its power bill for the library. The array was funded in part by a Universal Systems Benefit grant from NorthWestern Energy. The solar array was incorporated into the new library building with…
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