Solar Panel Project

DAE teamed with Solar America and P.H. Construction to furnish and install 400 hot water and solar panel to supplement the domestic hot water and heating hot water for eight (8) offender dorms at Ross Correctional Institute in Chillicothe, Ohio for the Ohio Department of Corrections.

DAE will provide mechanical engineering service and commissioning, installation training to help reduce recidivism for the offenders participating in this program. When completed, the Ross Correctional project will be one of the largest non-utility solar thermal installation in North America utilizing 400 solar thermal panels.

Jenny Hilderbrand, the Ohio Department of Correction Energy Construction and Sustainability Administrator said, “DRC’s Three-Year Strategic Sustainability plan was created to make economic and environmental sense, and outlines specific areas of improvement we strive for.  Saving on heating and hot water cost’s through renewable solar energy while training offenders in green job skills fits our objectives perfectly.”

This project at peak will produced approximately 12,000,000 BTU/hour and has already proven it ability to provide 100% of the heating and domestic water usage load without engaging the existing gas fired equipment with the first of eight offender dorms coming on line February 2014, with a payback period of 6.1 years total.  Total estimated yearly cost savings of $300,000 to $350,000 annually for the prisons natural gas bill.

Per Ohio prison Director Gary Mohr, “We are excited to have our fist solar energy project at the Ross Correctional Institution.  Green prison initiatives are growing in our facilities and Ohio is leading this effort across the country.” The project feeds into the State’s move to create more connections between inmate programming and the business community to expand the type of skills inmates are learning. Ross Correction Warden Rob Johnson said, “I’m excited because we’re the first in the country to actually do something like this.  Not only does this bring notoriety to RCI, it’s also inspiring to the offenders because they’re learning cutting-edge technology.  The savings is very important, but when you look at the investment we are making into human beings who are incarcerated, it’s greater than the money.”

Here is an article about Ross Correctional Facility, please click here.