LAKE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS & EVENT CENTER SOLAR ARRAY EXPANSION
PRESS RELEASE
Lake County Fairgrounds & Event center Solar Array expansion
18 May 2018 | By: Realgy, LLC
Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center, Grayslake, IL has recently incorporated an addition to their solar photovoltaic (PV) system more than doubling the size and efficiency of the current system.
Realgy, LLC has announced the start of usage with the new 99.84 kilowatt (kW) roof installation. Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center, operated by Lake County Fair Association, is home to many popular events including the historic Lake County Fair. The fair will be celebrating its 90th Anniversary this July with the help of the new solar array. Jon Brodzik Jr, the General Manager of the Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center, said, “The expansion is more than welcome and we are all looking forward to its usage and the events surrounding it.” The destination’s significant space allowed the capability of higher production to be more than just a day dream. With the help of Eco Solar Solutions, the goal to expand has been made a reality.
Eco Solar Solutions completed the new addition. “This project will provide great environmental benefits to the local community, and we’re ecstatic to have been part of the team to make this happen. We will be maintaining this system for the next 20 years to make sure that it continues to operate,” said Paul Szczesny, President of Eco Solar Solutions.
Realgy, LLC is a choice energy supplier in Illinois and selected LCF for both the initial and expanded project. Lake County will receive all solar energy produced by the panels. With its popular events comes high consumption that leads to environmental disadvantages. Renewable energy sources such as PV arrays help to combat those issues. This expansion will save LCF approximately $12,000 each year while improving the environment and safety in the area as follows:
- The Lake County solar PV system will produce over 121,324 kW hours (kWh) or enough power to supply about 11 average Illinois homes every year for the next 25 years.
- Some environmental and safety benefits associated with this array’s solar energy production:
- Over 84 thousand pounds of carbon dioxide WILL NOT be produced over the initial 25 years of operation.
- The level of offset emissions is equal to planting over 6,500 trees.
- Over 327 thousand pounds of coal would be necessary to produce the same amount of electricity.
- Reduction of 328 half- ton trucks used to transport that coal annually means less trucks on the road and less pollution from those trucks.
“We are happy to be partnered with Lake County on such a great endeavor,” said Michael Vrtis, President of Realgy. “Realgy is pleased with the extension of this project and the boundless support of the municipality. We look forward to everyone coming together with us for this Solarbration.”
Please join us at the Lake County Fairgrounds on May 18th, 2018 at 1 PM for this celebration.
Media Contacts:
Sue Markgraf
GreenMark Public Relations
847-917-9654
smarkgraf@greenmarkpr.com
for:
Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center
1060 East Peterson Road
Grayslake, Illinois 60030
847-680-7200
www.lcfair.com
Eco Solar Solutions
317-201-4435
www.eco-solar-solutions.com
Realgy, LLC
675 Oakwood Avenue
West Hartford, CT
860-233-2270
www.realgyenergyservices.com
St. Louis vs. Chicago; who’s ready for electric vehicles
Well it’s not the Cubs vs. Cardinals but the two cities are always competing. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates the U.S. will have 15 Million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. This week Missouri and Illinois each released a look into their electric vehicle plans.
In Illinois:
- Chicago will need to support 80,000 electric cars
- 2,700 public charging stations will be required
- Costs range from $80,000-$100,000
- Today: only 34 fast charging stations are located in all of northeastern Illinois
In Missouri:
- Ameren piloted a program in 2016
- Proposal to install 1,200 charging plugs in its territory
- Ameren would partner with companies to operate the charging stations
- Ameren estimates the costs at $20,000-$50,000 for each charging station
All states and cities are looking at the infrastructure and locations for installing electric charging stations. They understand the coming demand.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information:
https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018/02/22/study-chicago-could-see-80000-electric-cars-2030?utm_source=EHN&utm_campaign=8f5bea7cf2-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8573f35474-8f5bea7cf2-99396161
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ameren-seeks-to-add-hundreds-of-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/article_ebacca29-7355-52ff-b230-3b56d90d4fa7.html
Who Should Pay For Electric Vehicle Chargers? Who Should Profit?
Electric vehicles are becoming a viable option. One issue holding back broader acceptance is charging. States, utilities and utility regulators are trying to address the need to provide charging stations. Such innovations include:
- California is moving toward allowing utilities to invest in the transmission/distribution and own the charging stations
- Massachusetts is allowing utilities to invest in the infrastructure but leave the charging stations to others
- Texas allows ONLY utilities to own and operate charging stations
- Missouri is considering a request to allow utilities to build and own charging stations
- Kentucky is allowing utilities to build and own charging stations BUT only charges customers who use them
Utilities are monopolies. This allows them to charge all their customers for a charging station (that few will ever use), will not allow competition and will most likely stifle the electric vehicle industry. Allowing utilities to build out the infrastructure to which an entity can provide the charging station seems likely to win the day.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
Energy Department Invests Up to $50 Million to Improve the Resilience and Security of the Nation’s Critical Energy Infrastructure
Hurricane season has hit hard this year. Many continue to be impacted by the destructive storms with a lack of power being a huge setback. The Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to award National Laboratories to improve the Nation’s critical energy infrastructure for electricity, oil, and natural gas. The ability to withstand and recover quickly from energy interruptions needs to be a priority for the DOE. The awards are up to $50 million and will help shape the future of the Nation’s grid to ensure resilience and security.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-invests-50-million-improve-resilience-and-security-nation-s-critical
$200M Jay County wind energy center updates construction
South of Fort Wayne and East of Indianapolis is rising 57 wind turbines.
The wind industry continues to grow, adding 4x more jobs than coal last year.
The investment of $200 million dollars will generate 12 full time jobs and provide renewable power to 36,000 homes.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
http://wishtv.com/2017/08/28/jay-county-wind-energy-center-updates-construction/
Batteries Can Cut Power Bills for 5 Million U.S. Businesses
Electric utilities are shifting the cost of supplying on-demand power to the consumer. That is, if you occasionally turn on a large motor or appliance, it will cost you more under most utilities tariffs. Demand is a measure of how often you run at peak power use compared to your normal usage amount.
However, as the price declines and the power increases for battery technology, their use in business will grow.
If utilities increase demand charges, batteries will play a role in reducing your costs.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
What blackout? How solar-reliant power grids passed the eclipse test
In areas where solar energy contributes a large percentage of electricity, it is expected that certain weather patterns or natural phenomena’s such as a solar eclipse will affect the power grid. With Monday’s total solar eclipse in the US, system operators furthered their understanding of production interruptions. Despite the decline in output, it did not cause a major disruption to the network. Luckily, other power plants such as gas-fired and hydro overcompensated for the loss. We have more work to do with creating resilient networks that operate seamlessly but, being able to avoid a blackout is a step in the right direction.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
https://phys.org/news/2017-08-blackout-solar-reliant-power-grids-eclipse.html
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,082 Bcf as of Friday, August 11, 2017, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net increase of 53 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 254 Bcf less than last year at this time and 55 Bcf above the five-year average of 3,027 Bcf. At 3,082 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
American solar industry rises up against Suniva Section 201 trade petition
Suniva and SolarWorld have filed a trade petition with the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The petition seeks to subject imported solar equipment to trade tariffs. This could double solar prices, stopping growth and destroying 88,000 jobs. The energy independence the US has gained would halt and country-wide investments would be jeopardized. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) leads the opposition due to the endangerment of America’s solar jobs.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
50% Rise in Renewable Energy Needed to Meet Ambitious State Standards
Renewable energy production (wind, solar, wave, and biomass) has been the fastest growing energy producing technology over the last 8 years. However, if renewable energy is to meet all State issued renewable goals, it’s hardly started. Every State has set a goal in order to shift energy production to a sustainable effort, increase technology jobs in their State, and reduce greenhouse gases.
No state has decreased their renewable energy goal. The cost of renewables is comparable to fossil fuel technology. So… how much renewable energy has to come online to meet ALL the State’s renewable goals? The chart below shows the current level of renewable energy production in 2017 and the growth that is required to meet each region’s collective renewable energy standard. Renewable energy has to grow from under 10 TWh to over 150 TWh. Such growth is exiting and will cause new jobs, less pollution, and new technology.
Consider the following; if just 10% (current estimates are close to 30%) of cars and trucks in the US converted to electric power (battery), the renewable energy produced would be used ONLY to power those cars and trucks.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information: