GEM Energy to start construction of Penta Career Center solar array

Construction will begin this spring on a $2 million solar array that will provide nearly 60% of the electricity needs for Penta Career Center, a career technical high school serving 1,400 students in northwest Ohio.

GEM Energy, of the Rudolph Libbe Group, is the design/build contractor and tradespeople from two other Rudolph Libbe Group companies, GEM Inc. and Rudolph Libbe Inc., will construct the array with 3,100 Series 6 panels manufactured by First Solar.

The fixed-tilt, ground-mount array will be located on six acres at the southernmost point of Penta Career Center’s property, visible from I-75.

AEP OnSite Partners will own the array and sell power to Penta Career Center through a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA), which will save the school utility operating costs over 30 years.

Once the project is complete in August 2020, GEM Energy will provide preventive maintenance, monitor daily power output over the life of the power purchasing agreement and perform quarterly inspections of the array.

According to GEM, the project will produce 1.76 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of power, equal to the energy needed to power 142 average homes.

The system will allow remote monitoring so classrooms can use an internet connection to access the output data for project-based learning.