An array of solar panels sits on top of the hill next to Brown Stove Works in Cleveland, Tenn. The 200 kilowatt solar panels were completed toward the end of March.What: 200 kilowatt solar installation, the largest in the Cleveland, Tenn., area.
Company: Brown Stove Works Inc.
Location: 1422 Carolina Ave. NE, Cleveland.
Age: The installation was completed at the end of March after a six-month construction. It is warranted for 25 years.
Energy production: The system will generate more than 250,000 kilowatt- hours of energy every year, enough to power 50 average homes.
Environmental effects: Over the life of the system, the more than 800 panels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4,500 metric tons, the equivalent of planting 180,000 trees.
Why go solar? Jenny Rumble, Brown Stove Works' marketing manager, said her company has benefited from being in Cleveland, and this was a way for it to benefit the community in return. "We always like to give back to the community, and we're certainly pleased to be able to," she said.
Finding support: The company was able to go through with the project, thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority's Generation Partners Program. Stove Works' solar array feeds directly back into Cleveland's power grid. TVA pays a premium for that power, helping Stove Works to offset installation-related costs.