The City of Madison Engineering Division's Master Electrician Matt Parks and local partnering organizations are starting the week in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico to teach community members how to install solar and other related skills.
The community is still recovering from Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Parks will return March 3, 2020.
"These trips are life changing, not only for the Toa Baja community. Through hands-on workshops, City staff and technical college electrical trainee's learn new skills. They install solar electric systems on community buildings, learning while they work," Parks said. "Seeing people learn and become excited about solar is exciting. Through these trips, we strengthen the friendship between our two cities, and we feel like we're making an impact now and into the future."
This trip is an extension of the City of Madison Engineering Division's GreenPower program, which started as a pilot program in 2016 in the City of Madison. Through the program, trainees with little or no prior electrical skills, learn how to install solar arrays or (Photovoltaic arrays). The GreenPower trainees install solar on City of Madison facilities to help the City meet its initial goal of 1 Megawatt of self-generated renewable energy by 2020.
More on Wisconsin Eagle
"I am very proud of our partnership with Toa Baja and happy to continue to support this important work," Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. "We are focused on meeting our renewable energy goals in Madison and on helping other cities adopt this critical technology."
Toa Baja Trip 2019
This is Park's second trip to Toa Baja representing the City. Last year, Parks and two other electricians from partnering organizations, traveled to Toa Baja to build an 8.4 kW solar array at the Canderlaria Community Center.
This year, Parks will return to install a battery bank and battery based inverter on the Canderlaria Community Center. This will make sure the community will have power even when there is no electricity, or the electrical grid is down. The City is working with the Toa Baja Mayor Bernardo Márquez García on this project. Mayor García chose the Canderlaria Community Center to install the system because it is used as a temporary disaster relief shelter and holds emergency supplies. The building is built high enough to have stayed safe from the flooding that damaged Toa Baja following Hurricane Maria, which was a Category 5 hurricane that devastated Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in September 2017. The solar power will also reduce operating costs of the building. The building will have battery and solar power back-up in case of an emergency.
More on Wisconsin Eagle
While in Toa Baja, Parks, Nick Matthes (of the MREA), and Craig Buttke, of CBI, Inc., will also run the next GreenPower workshop to teach partners at the City of Toa Baja and local technical college to install a 7 kW system on the Toa Baja municipal police department. The police department was without power for nearly two months after Hurricane Maria, and their backup generator did not work. Parks will teach the team to install the battery backup, which will have 14 kWh of energy storage and a 7 kW PV system that will keep the battery bank charged when there is no electricity. This will supply critical communications during an emergency.
Couillard Solar Foundation donated the following materials: multimode inverter, batteries and modules. Ecolibrium Solar donated the racking system.
Matt Parks (City of Madison), Nick Matthes, of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, and Craig Buttke, of Solar CBI, Inc., will be conducting the workshop. The City of Madison is funding Park's time on the project as well as travel expenses.
Contacts
The community is still recovering from Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Parks will return March 3, 2020.
"These trips are life changing, not only for the Toa Baja community. Through hands-on workshops, City staff and technical college electrical trainee's learn new skills. They install solar electric systems on community buildings, learning while they work," Parks said. "Seeing people learn and become excited about solar is exciting. Through these trips, we strengthen the friendship between our two cities, and we feel like we're making an impact now and into the future."
This trip is an extension of the City of Madison Engineering Division's GreenPower program, which started as a pilot program in 2016 in the City of Madison. Through the program, trainees with little or no prior electrical skills, learn how to install solar arrays or (Photovoltaic arrays). The GreenPower trainees install solar on City of Madison facilities to help the City meet its initial goal of 1 Megawatt of self-generated renewable energy by 2020.
More on Wisconsin Eagle
- Managecore to Host Live Virtual Meet Up Series Every Tuesday and Thursday for SAP Community
- Florida Governor Issues Stay-at-Home Order All Legal Proceedings Must Go Online
- AIS – All Integrated Solutions, Announces Its Supplier of the Year Award
- 230V in the vehicle made easy and powerful with an all-in-one inverter system
- Mahmood Khan Cracks ITUNES Australia Top Ten Charts
"I am very proud of our partnership with Toa Baja and happy to continue to support this important work," Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. "We are focused on meeting our renewable energy goals in Madison and on helping other cities adopt this critical technology."
Toa Baja Trip 2019
This is Park's second trip to Toa Baja representing the City. Last year, Parks and two other electricians from partnering organizations, traveled to Toa Baja to build an 8.4 kW solar array at the Canderlaria Community Center.
This year, Parks will return to install a battery bank and battery based inverter on the Canderlaria Community Center. This will make sure the community will have power even when there is no electricity, or the electrical grid is down. The City is working with the Toa Baja Mayor Bernardo Márquez García on this project. Mayor García chose the Canderlaria Community Center to install the system because it is used as a temporary disaster relief shelter and holds emergency supplies. The building is built high enough to have stayed safe from the flooding that damaged Toa Baja following Hurricane Maria, which was a Category 5 hurricane that devastated Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in September 2017. The solar power will also reduce operating costs of the building. The building will have battery and solar power back-up in case of an emergency.
More on Wisconsin Eagle
- Madison: Declaración de la Alcaldesa Rhodes-Conway en rechazo al racismo en nuestra comunidad
- Geneva Supply Co-Founders Selected as Small Business Persons of the Year for Wisconsin
- Madison: Statement from the Office of Mayor Rhodes-Conway Regarding Federal Court Ruling on Wisconsin Elections
- Eat Locally - Businesses Supporting Local Restaurants
- Madison: Mayor Rhodes-Conway's Statement on Rejecting Racism in Our Community
While in Toa Baja, Parks, Nick Matthes (of the MREA), and Craig Buttke, of CBI, Inc., will also run the next GreenPower workshop to teach partners at the City of Toa Baja and local technical college to install a 7 kW system on the Toa Baja municipal police department. The police department was without power for nearly two months after Hurricane Maria, and their backup generator did not work. Parks will teach the team to install the battery backup, which will have 14 kWh of energy storage and a 7 kW PV system that will keep the battery bank charged when there is no electricity. This will supply critical communications during an emergency.
Couillard Solar Foundation donated the following materials: multimode inverter, batteries and modules. Ecolibrium Solar donated the racking system.
Matt Parks (City of Madison), Nick Matthes, of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, and Craig Buttke, of Solar CBI, Inc., will be conducting the workshop. The City of Madison is funding Park's time on the project as well as travel expenses.
Contacts
- Hannah Mohelnitzky, Public Information Officer, City of Madison Engineering Division608-669-3560, 608-242-6003hmohelnitzky@cityofmadison.com
0 Comments
Latest on Wisconsin Eagle
- Madison: Mayor Rhodes-Conway's Statement on Transportation in Regards to COVID-19
- Arizona Businesswoman Launches Giveaway to Support Students During School Closure
- Ideanomics Announces Operations Back to Normal; Announces $8.1 Million in Orders
- Madison: Polling Place Listing for April 7
- Trace-A-Matic Expands 5-Axis Machining Automation
- IAOP Announces New Initiative with Its Impact Sourcing Champions Index
- AFOP Announces its 2020 Farmworker Children Essay and Art Contest
- El Departamento de Bomberos de Madison Suspende Todos los Permisos para la Quema de Desechos Hasta Nuevo Aviso
- Care Packages to Frontline Workers Delivered by Erasable Inc. of Tampa with Partners ZO Skin Health and HydraFacial
- Wisconsin es el Unico Estado de la Nación que Sigue Adelante con Unas Elecciones en Esta Etapa de la Pandemia. Madison Está Solicitando a un Juzgado Federal que Posponga las Elecciones o que Considere el Voto por Correo.
- Madison: Celebrate Poetry! Online Reading for National Poetry Month
- Wisconsin is the only state in the nation moving forward with an election at this stage of the pandemic, Madison is asking a Federal Court to postpone the election, consider mail-in ballot
- Exquisite home for sale in an equestrian community!
- Madison: Absentee Ballot Secure Drop Off Sites
- HSA Bank Supports Local Communities during COVID-19 Pandemic
- Tip: COVID-19 hand dermatitis prevention
- edjuster Ensures Continuity of Services Across North America During COVID-19 Impact
- A holistic approach to general dentistry in Green Bay Wisconsin
- Helping to Build Ventilators in the Coronavirus Pandemic
- New Book Announcement: Executive Engagement Strategies—How to Have Conversations and Develop Relationships that Build B2B Business