Installation of solar panel began Tuesday on the New Ulm Public Utilities water department building. This is the third New Ulm Public Utilities (NUPU) building to receive solar panels this month.

NEW ULM – Installation of the solar panels on New Ulm’s water department building began Tuesday.

Work crews from Wolf Track Energy moved the panels to the roof of the water department building in the morning and in the afternoon began placing the panels on the west-facing side of the roof.

This is the third New Ulm Public Utilities (NUPU) building to receive solar panels this month. Panels were installed at the electric distribution department (EDD) building and natural gas building earlier in the month. The city was able to install the solar panel thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The grant had previously only been available for buildings located in Xcel Energy service territory, but it was expanded this last year.

New Ulm Utilities Energy Services Representative Derek Nelson said an application for the solar grant was submitted last summer. The grant limited the solar arrays to under 40 kilowatt-hour (kW).

The EDD solar panels is a 13.056 kW panel and costs $48,279. Over its 30-year lifespan, the panel is expected to produce 534,619 kW of power.

The natural gas department array is rated at 12.672 kW, costs $48,270 and is expected to produce 511,705 kWh.

The water department array is the largest of the three at 31.5 kW and costs $88,053.12. This solar array is estimated to average 34,000 to 35,000 kWh per month and produce 1.05 million kW over its lifetime.

The total cost for installation of the three solar arrays is $185,049, but grants cover 70% of the cost of installation, with a 30% match paid by NUPU.

Cost savings from the panels will be based on electrical rates, which will likely change over time. All three solar arrays have a life expectancy of 30 years.