Solar panels supplying 10.9% of energy used at Nokomis Beach

Installation funded by Xcel Energy, part of public/private partnership to add solar projects to five Minneapolis parks

Story and photo by TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
The new solar power installation at Nokomis Beach is up and running, and will soon supply an estimated 10.9% of total annual energy consumed at the beach. Plus, it created more shade.
An 18-panel array was mounted atop a large shade structure near Sandcastle restaurant (photo right). Sandcastle remained open during the construction, which began this spring and ended in August. The panels were connected to Xcel’s equipment and began generating electricity for Lake Nokomis Park on Aug. 17.
First solar installation paid for by Xcel grant
The 7.4kW solar installation is estimated to provide 9,578-10,321 kWh per year.
The Titan 410W Mono PV Modules with reflectors were manufactured by TenKsolar in Bloomington. Installation was done by Sundial Solar and Merit Electric under the direction of Graybar Electric.
The construction cost (not including design and other related design and administration costs) was approximately $180,000.
“The project is the result of a great partnership,” said Benjamin Johnson of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). “It was primarily funded by Xcel Energy’s Renewable Development Fund, but the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has also provided $150,000 in funding as a match to the RDF grant.”
MPRB applied for an Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund grant in 2013, and learned in 2014 that it was among 20 out of 67 applicants to receive funding.
The $969,741 grant helped fund five projects. The largest, at Parade Ice Garden, has 374 solar panels in 21 sections, which generates roughly 15% of the building’s annual electrical consumption. Each solar panel is paired with a reflector panel to maximize energy density.
“It’s great to partner with the Minneapolis Park Board on their energy efficiency work and their first-ever solar installation at Parade Ice Garden,” said Lee Gabler, Xcel Energy Senior Director of Customer Strategy and Solutions. “This solar array is another example of public and private partners, working together, to promote renewable energy use.”
“Renewable energy infrastructure helps to reduce the parks’ carbon footprint, and with the significant costs associated with implementation, I am thankful that we received such a generous grant from Xcel Energy to build out some sites within the system,” stated District 5 Parks Commissioner Steffanie Musich.
Nokomis site one of five
Solar panels have also been installed at Webber Natural Swimming Pool (on pump house roof); East Phillips Community and Cultural Center (roof); and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (roof of the multipurpose room).
Project locations were selected based on solar orientation (to maximize sunlight exposure), public visibility and distribution across the Minneapolis park system, according to Johnson. Roof capacity and roof longevity were major factors in determining the location for the major installation at Parade Ice Garden.
The original plan to install solar panels at the Lake Calhoun Refectory (Tin Fish) was scraped because the building needed extensive structural modifications to support a solar system. The new Northeast Athletic Field Recreation Center is expected to receive a small roof-mounted solar system in 2018, but it will not be funded by Xcel RDF grant due to timing and funding constraints.
Annually, the combined projects produce roughly 280,000 kilowatt hours, offset 400,000 pounds of carbon, and reduce MPRB electricity bills by roughly $28,000.
The projects also include interpretive and educational programming opportunities about sustainable solar energy for both children and adults in Minneapolis parks.
A mounted educational sign will be installed onsite at Lake Nokomis this fall. The sign will provide information about solar energy and specifics about the Nokomis solar installation. Also, small signs containing a QR code that can be scanned to view a video about the projects will be installed on nearby picnic tables.
“Providing demonstration projects using solar energy makes solar production visible to the community. This supports a culture around promoting renewable energy and sustainability,” remarked Johnson.
Solar benefits
These solar projects not only benefit park users but city residents in general.
“Each solar installation reduces our carbon footprint. Our carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil fuel,” pointed out Johnson. “When we reduce our carbon footprint, it reduces the amount of natural resources we consume.”
Solar power reduces the need to expand the electrical grid, which saves everyone costs on utility bills, as well as natural resources needed for expanding the electrical grid for increased demand.
Solar energy is a ‘clean’ energy source in comparison to other types of energy generation. Photovoltaic solar power makes no noise, creates no emissions, has no moving parts, uses no water or other fuels and requires very little maintenance.
Using solar energy not only saves on electrical costs in the short term but may also be a good long-term investment. Energy prices are rising while the cost of a solar installation is dropping.
This project supports local solar production.
All of the solar installations used solar modules that were reviewed by the Department of Commerce and designated as Made In Minnesota.

Article appeared in the September 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Nokomis playground re-opens

Officials and community members including Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Commissioner Steffanie Musich and Nokomis East Neighborhood Association Board President Mike Ferrin, officially cut the ribbon to open the updated Nokomis Community Center playground on Friday, July 28, 2017. The $300,000 cost of the improvements came from 2015 CIP net debt bonds.  Work started in May, and included “logs” for balancing on and “wood” stepping stones made from recycled plastic materials, “tree” poles for climbing, and raised hills. There’s a “birds nest” to play in on one of the three-to-four-foot high raised hills, and a taller structure on another. There will be one tall slide and two smaller ones, a climber, diggers, swings and Willow Thicket. Planners tied the existing disconnected play structures into a single playground through the use of a long concrete border (that doubles as a balance beam for children) and a single container filled with an ADA-compliant surface. Bollards around the playground area had yet to be placed as of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The project has experienced some delays due to weather.

Avery Asante, 5, of Bloomington tries out the new swing after hopping from log to log in another section of the playground. “We love it,” said his father, Andrew Asante. “It’s nice to go to different parks.” To get a feel for how residents used the old equipment, playground designer Chris Desroches observed it in person and then factored in resident comments before fashioning the new design. Comments were solicited last year three open houses and the Monarch Festival.

“The park board has made significant investments in our neighborhood, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Nokomis East Neighborhood Association Board President Mike Ferrin, referring to the new playground at Nokomis Community Center and the updates at Bossen field.

Four-year-old Faye Saybolt goes down the big slide at the Nokomis Community Center playground, a feature that residents recall having been there in the past and asked for again, according to project manager Beth Pfeifer. “It’s amazing,” said Faye’s mother, Jennifer Saybolt, who lives near the lake.

Max Kyle, age 3.5, of Ericsson, climbs on the raised hills that play off the nature area nearby but don’t replicate it. Kyle attends the preschool program at the Nokomis Community Center and will be seeing a lot of this playground, according to his father, Collin Lyle. “It’s nice that they updated it,” said Lyle. A surprise for the kids includes the old dolphin with teeth and a bowler hat buried in the sand so that children can dig it up. Planners think this lends towards the desire by community residents to keep pieces that inspire creativity.

When it was possible, old pieces such as the pull-up bars and metal arch were re-used. They will also be repainted to match the new items at the playground. The Willow Thicket that has been at the Rose Garden temporarily has found a permanent home at the Nokomis playground. 

Parks Commissioner Steffanie Musich is most excited by the natural play area to the south of the new playground equipment. It is the first like it in Minneapolis and will provide an example of how to do this elsewhere. “So many kids in an urban environment don’t have the opportunity to get comfortable with nature in a tactile way.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Photos by Tesha M. Christensen

Appeared in the September 2017 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger