Deerfield Solar Tour Site 4: Deerfield Public Works
Installed March 2019 – 180 kW
Array powers the village waste treatment plant
Installer: Arch Electric
This is an example of a ground mount array and it contains 600 monofacial solar panels.
Ground mount arrays are an excellent choice for larger arrays when there is land available. Even though this array has monofacial panels, CSF now promotes the use of bifacial solar panels, especially for ground mount arrays. Rows are set at a distance to prevent one row from shading the next.
If your building or facility does not have sufficient roof space for an array, a ground mount is a great alternative.
This array has native prairie plants under the rows of racking. In addition to adding beauty to the site, native plants provide food and shelter for animals and pollinators, like bees and butterflies. Another benefit is that the roots of native plants go deep into the ground, breaking up the soil and allowing moisture to drain more readily, preventing run-off and reducing the impact of drought.
It also requires no mowing, saving hundreds of dollars a year on landscaping services.
To see how the Deerfield solar arrays are producing in real time, visit the Deerfield Solar Dashboard.
Tour Information
In-person tour: Always the first full weekend of October. Other tours throughout the year.
Self-directed tour: Any time. Pick up map at Couillard Solar Foundation offices (Mon-Fri) or download below.