This article appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of Garfield County Libraries Page by Page publication.
In 2012, the Garfield County Libraries first partnered with Colorado Mountain College (CMC) to put a 10 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system on the New Castle Branch Library. In 2013, CMC returned to put a 19.6 kW array on the Silt Branch Library. This summer CMC returned yet again to install the biggest solar array to date on the Carbondale Branch Library.
What makes this partnership so unique is the fact that it’s the CMC students and their instructor, Chris Ellis, who are doing the work. Ellis and his eight students in “Photovoltaic Components” last fall worked together to plan out the solar array. Then this summer Master Electrician Jordan Arnhold and others from Green-Tech Electrical worked with Ellis and five of the students from the “Photovoltaic Grid Tied” course to install the solar panels on the Carbondale Branch Library roof. It took about 350 man hours to complete the installation.
“The continuation of our work with the Garfield County Libraries has been very fulfilling for me personally” said Ellis. “Community projects are a keystone to providing a healthy and sustainable society of which we can all be proud to participate.”
The Garfield County Libraries would like to thank CMC and its students for their hard work and partnership on this project. We would also like to thank the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), private donors, and the Garfield County Public Library Foundation for their generous grants and funding for this important project.