Solar Power System Energized at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has inaugurated a new 250-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power system donated by First Solar Inc., which will help power the historic Taliesin West campus. The commissioning marks the successful completion of the first phase of the Energizing Taliesin West™ initiative, an effort to transform the entire national historic landmark into a net zero energy customer, producing as much energy as it consumes annually, while maintaining the historic and architectural integrity of the site. The project, led by energy efficiency consultant Big Green Zero, is focused on the twin goals of maximizing the campus’ energy efficiency through improved climate controls, insulation, lighting, and other techniques while also generating renewable energy on-site.
Many local Arizona companies donated materials and labor to make the project possible. Tempe-based First Solar designed the system and donated approximately 4,000 of its thin-film solar panels as well as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services. Power-One donated an Aurora PVI-Central-250kW inverter manufactured in nearby Phoenix and the associated performance-monitoring equipment for the project, and Klondyke Construction donated electrical construction services. Other companies with operations in Arizona that contributed include Buesing Corp. (structural post installation), OMCO Solar (panel mounting structural materials), CLP Resources (structural and modular installation labor), Rummel Construction (site grading), Rapid (electrical equipment), Syntech (surveying), and Oldcastle (precast inverter pad). Other donors included Highway Safety Corp. (structural steel posts) and Olson Motor and Control Co. (electrical equipment).