Utah Olympic Oval to get solar energy makeover


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KEARNS — A new solar energy project at the Utah Olympic Oval announced Monday is expected to shave about $100,000 off the speedskating facility's annual $750,000 power bill.

Much of the $1.4 million cost of the solar paneled canopies being installed above parking spaces is being paid for through a $564,000 grant from Rocky Mountain Power and $200,000 from Salt Lake County.

"We know it can't only be us looking at keeping the facility going," said Colin Hilton, president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation responsible for maintaining 2002 Winter Games competition sites.

Hilton said the project will help extend the life of the foundation's endowment, established with profits from the 2002 Olympics, by reducing the subsidy needed by the oval.

The foundation projects that the new solar energy system, set to begin operating in early December, will pay for itself in five years and end up saving $3.7 million over its 20-year life.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said the oval provides recreational opportunities for families from throughout the area as well as hosting national and international speedskating competitions.

"It's a regional facility. We're sending the message today that we are committed to maintaining this facility as a world-class Olympic facility," McAdams said. "If the Olympics come back to Utah, this facility is ready to go."

More than 3,000 solar modules mounted on parking canopies are expected to generate more than 1 million kilowatt-hours annually to help operate the oval's 1,000 tons of refrigeration.

The 300,000-square-foot facility offers access to the iced oval track nine months of the year, while interior ice sheets are available for 11 months. The oval is open year-round for other activities.

Josh Haines, director of the state Division of Construction and Facilities Management that is overseeing the project, emphasized the environmental benefits of utilizing solar energy.

"We take the sun here for granted," Haines said, warning that as the state's population grows, the Wasatch Front's air quality will continue to deteriorate without more such projects. "We may not be seeing the sun as much."

John Harrington, the division's energy director, said the oval will be the division's biggest-ever solar energy project.

Harrington said the state has completed about 25 solar energy projects and a dozen more are underway with the Utah National Guard, at the University of Utah and at the dinosaur museum in Vernal.

Salt Lake County has funded a number of solar energy projects in government buildings, including the largest in the state as part of the Salt Palace Convention Center expansion.

The oval is the county's first contribution for a solar energy project at a facility it does not own or manage. The grant was sought by the county's township executive, Patrick Leary, and was approved by the Salt Lake County Council.

The Rocky Mountain Power grant is the largest to date awarded through the utility's Utah Solar Incentive Program.

Chad Ambrose, Rocky Mountain Power renewables program manager, said the utility is "thrilled the solar panels will reduce costs so more money can be used to train the next generation of Olympic athletes."

Contributing: Ashley Kewish

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