“This installation is an example of what education and renewable energy have in common – both are critical investments in our future.”
Designed and constructed by SolarWorld Authorized Installer Mountain View Solar (MTVSolar) of Berkeley Springs, W.V., the installation at APUS is the solar contractor’s latest use of SolarWorld solar panels to blaze a solar trail in the Mountain State.
U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia joined APUS executives and local government officials in late April to celebrate completion of the project, which will supply about half of the energy requirements for APUS’ 100,000-square-foot Financial Center and power 15 charging stations for electrical and hybrid vehicles.
“Through this project, APUS sets a powerful example of institutional sustainability for its more than 100,000 students and for the community here in West Virginia,” said Mike McKechnie, president of MTVSolar. "This installation is an example of what education and renewable energy have in common – both are critical investments in our future.”
SolarWorld and MTVSolar have worked at the vanguard of solar development in West Virginia, a state known for coal mining, in projects that bring new sources of energy and jobs. Between 2010 and 2011, MTVSolar installed SolarWorld solar panels at the Morgan County Courthouse in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia’s first municipal solar project; at Berkeley Springs High School, the state’s first solar-equipped school; and at the wastewater treatment plant in Hurricane, the state’s largest solar-powered infrastructure project. MTVSolar also collaborated with Appalachian nonprofit The Jobs Project to install SolarWorld solar panels atop a downtown building while offering installation training in Williamson, known as the “heart of the billion dollar coalfield.”
“With a network of skilled, experienced authorized installers like MTVSolar on the ground in communities across the country, SolarWorld can ensure that our technology is deployed according to industry best practices in applications that provide a meaningful return on investment for the communities involved,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas.
SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high-quality, crystalline silicon solar-power technology. The company’s strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and panels all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling high-quality panels into the installation and distribution trades and wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany, with sales sites in Singapore, South Africa, Spain, France as well as in the U.S. state of California. The group’s largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports community aid projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs about 3,300 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.
Mountain View Solar (MTVSolar) is West Virginia’s largest solar PV installer, and services clients in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Our home office is located in Berkeley Springs, W.V., and we are proud to call the Eastern Panhandle home. Along with our desire to bring local energy to our community, we are dedicated to the idea of energy independence and use equipment made right here in the USA as much as possible. With the arrival of electric cars, we have also become the area’s largest installer of electric car-charging stations, powering our houses, our businesses and our cars with the sun! We are a full service company, offering in-house design and engineering and turnkey installations for our residential and commercial clients.
