Sustainability initiatives are becoming increasingly important to the city of Minneapolis, and it shows in their commitment to install the largest solar array in the Midwest on the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Fully installed and running as of Nov. 15, 2010, the 600-kilowatt system is supplying power to the convention center, showcasing the city’s renewable energy and sustainability initiatives.

Minneapolis’s commitment to sustainability helped produce the quick results.

“The city of Minneapolis was a huge driving force and Public Works was instrumental in organizing and implementing the installation,” said Chris Larson, Director of Facility Services for Minneapolis Convention Center.

"The completion of the largest solar electricity array in the upper Midwest is another milestone on the road to fulfilling the vision of Minneapolis as a fully sustainable city," said Mayor R.T. Rybak in a press release.

The system was installed with three different orientations in groupings of 200 kilowatts, each to best take advantage of the sunlight and climate in Minnesota. The installation was designed to reduce peak energy demands during the hottest months of the year, when both solar potential and building cooling demands are at their highest.

“Depending on the event load and weather, we expect the solar array to provide two to five percent of the annual energy needs,” said Chris Larson, Director of Facility Services for the Minneapolis Convention Center. “The solar array was installed to shave some of the peak demand off the grid during the cooling months.”

The solar array on the convention center is connected directly to the internal electrical system and is expected to produce 750,000 kWh of solar electricity per year—the equivalent of powering 85 homes. It will offset 539 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions or the amount given off by 60,587 gallons of gasoline.

In addition to sustainability initiatives, trends in the convention industry itself were another motivating factor in the decision to go solar.

“Our clients are demanding more sustainable initiatives when selecting convention facilities,” said Larson. “We expect the implementation of solar power to be a marketing point and to attract events to Minneapolis that value sustainability.”