Solar Spotlight: Trade Union Employs the Sun at Sacramento Training Center

Members are greeted by SMA Sunny Boys mounted on a Sunny Tower in the IBEW training center’s lobby.

Since 1902, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 340 has represented members and retirees in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. Conveniently located in California’s state capital of Sacramento, Local 340 lobbies on behalf of myriad industries—including solar—and hosts government officials, in addition to servicing union members.

The installation process was documented and is now used to teach students about solar.

System Details

Local 340 commissioned Northern California-based Cal Valley Solar to install a 47kW DC PV array at its on-site training center. Here, 144 SunPower 327 panels—situated along a parapet and two carports—feed direct current to six SMA Sunny Boy 8000-US inverters mounted on an SMA Sunny Tower-US in the training center’s lobby. The system is expected to produce 75,000 kWh annually.

Solar Just Made Sense

Choosing solar for the Local 340 training center was a strategic decision. Not only does the array help offset energy costs, but it also serves as a training system and a model for political lobbying. But when it came to choosing system components, innovation was key.

“The coolness factor of the Sunny Tower, combined with unmatched quality and reputation, made SMA products ideal for this project,” explained Terry Peterson, partner at Cal Valley Solar. “The Sunny Tower is now displayed in the lobby, so you can’t miss it when entering the training center.”

Solar Spotlight aims to highlight SMA inverters in real-world situations. E-mail us with information about your SMA-powered PV projects at SocialMedia@SMA-America.com