Business & Tech

Suniva Solar Project Complete at MARTA Terminal

The largest solar canopy in Georgia uses Norcross-made panels.

With the installation of the 4906th Suniva panel last week, a MARTA bus terminal and repair site will be powered by the sun. The ambitious transit project will deliver one megawatt of power to the Laredo Bus Terminal in Decatur. 

The solar canopy is now the largest in Georgia.  The cells cover 220 parking stalls for MARTA buses, creating a shade structure while simultaneously catching the sun’s rays to create power, Connie Krisak, MARTA’s project manager and head of sustainability efforts, told Norcross Patch as the project kicked off.

The $10.8 million project was funded by a federal TIGGER grant, which supports efforts to reduce energy and greenhouse gases as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

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Chris Wilson, project manager for Greenspeed Energy Solutions, an authorized integration partner for Suniva, had the honor of placing the 4906th panel on the solar canopy, which is 100,000 square feet.

At its completion, the project created 20 “green” jobs and took 30 days to complete, according to Paul Williams, CEO of Greenspeed. 

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Fourteen groups of panels were strung together, much in the way batteries are linked, he explained. The panels have been tested, and they appear to be creating the 436 volts BC that powering the station requires, he said.  “It is going to be clean, consistent energy because it is right on site,” Williams said.

“Almost 100 percent of this project used local companies,” he added. “I think that’s a good use of local talent.” 


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