Metro reached a significant “milestone” Monday when the first of its four stations had its new solar carports installed.
SunPower Corp., a solar technology and energy service, has completed the first of five solar canopies at the Anacostia Metro Station, with 240 solar panels placed on top of its parking garage, the transit agency said in a release.
The 25-year deal will provide the transit agency with a long-term revenue stream.
The installation of four more solar canopies at the station is expected to be completed later in the summer. More than 3,000 solar panels will be put in place, and Metro anticipates that the electricity generated will be equivalent to the power used by 165 homes annually.
Canopies will be installed at Southern Avenue, Cheverly and Naylor Road stations. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 1,100 homes a year and provide new covered parking and security upgrades for Metro customers.
“Metro customers will also benefit from the project with improved parking amenities, including protection from extreme weather, brighter, more efficient LED lighting, new security cameras and emergency call boxes,” the release said.
The transit agency said that collectively, the projects are among the largest community solar projects in the Mid-Atlantic region, providing nearly 10MW of renewable energy to the local grid.
The solar carport project is a joint venture between SunPower, Metro and Goldman Sachs Renewable Power (GSRP). SunPower will install the solar carports at no cost to Metro, and a subsidiary of GSRP will own the panels.
You can read more about Metro’s Solar Carport Project on its website.
