NOLA Lower 9th Ward Village “Greenest Skate Park” in the World
Lil Wayne skates and celebrates the opening of a skate park in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. (AP)
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, flooding the city and destroying everything in its path. Seven years later a community is still moving forward and trying to rebuild. Thanks to Grammy award-winning rapper Lil Wayne, Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation and a sponsorship from Mountain Dew, the community now sees a brighter future.
Solar powered skate park
Trukspot Skate Park, located within the Lower 9th Ward Village, opened its doors to the public on October 27, 2012. Trukspot now boasts the title “greenest skate park in the world” partially because of its 6 kW solar tracker system that produces 10,000 kWh of power per year.
Photo Credit: Make It Right Foundation
AllSun Tracking Systems
Make it Right, the developer for the project, wanted to create a skate park that was as environmentally responsible as possible. Working alongside Joule Solar Energy, a local Louisiana-based company, Make it Right chose the AllSun Tracker system because it tracks the sun throughout the day using GPS and wireless technology to increase energy production by as much as 45 percent. Each AllSun tracker is paired with a SMA Sunny Boy 6000-US inverter for even more maximized energy production.
“The solar tracker provides the park affordable, clean energy. Lower power bills help keep the park sustainable for the entire community” – Pierre Moses, Program Director for Make it Right
Making it Affordable for All
Rapper and skateboarder Lil Wayne, a major donor to the project, expressed a desire to keep maintenance and upkeep costs as low as possible to allow free or very inexpensive admission. Using solar to supply power to the community center and skate park’s lighting, fans and computers helps make this dream possible.
“The honest truth is, all I want to do is keep them off the streets” – Lil Wayne, Grammy award winning rapper
Solar Spotlight aims to highlight SMA inverters in real-world situations. Email us with information about your SMA-powered PV projects at SocialMedia@SMA-America.com
Feel free to contribute!