Politics & Government

Solar Panels to Protect Sports Spectators in Chesterfield

The city is moving ahead with the installation of covers for some of its bleachers at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Center that will contain solar panels.

New covers approved for a set of bleachers at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Center are going to do more than just protect spectators from the sun, but will also harness its power.

The structures, which received the blessing of the city council Monday, will be located in the center’s “F quad” of baseball fields and will incorporate solar panels.

Original projections had pegged the cost of the bleacher covers at around $150,000, but city staff brought forward the solar panel option after securing an agreement from Ameren UE to provide a $50,000 rebate cover the cost of their installation.

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"With the Ameren rebate, it is actually cheaper to build the bleacher covers using the photo voltaic panels, rather than use the normal corrugated metal panels," said Michael Geisel, the city's director of planning and public works. 

Chesterfield city manager Michael Herring said this means the upgrade comes at essentially no cost to the city and will feed power into the city’s electrical grid.

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Specifically, Geisel said it will be used to power the concession stand at the F quad and estimated it could reduce the electric bill for the structure by as much as $4,500 annually. Ameren has also agreed to purchase alternative energy credits from the city for 10 years. 

However, the council’s approval was not unanimous. Council members Nancy Greenwood and Bruce DeGroot voted against the measure.

Greenwood noted that the technology hadn't been used in this kind of role, to her knowledge, anywhere else and was therefore untested.

“I have grave reservations about us being the guinea pigs,” she said. 

The city ran several tests on a piece of solar panel stock and discovered, for the most part, they could withstand a 60 mph shot from a softball or baseball, but if it hit the right spot, they would break. 

"So, the installation proposed for our bleacher covers, include a protective screen above the glass panels, coated with a UV resistant coating, to protect the panels from the actual impact of the balls," Geisel said. 

The nets will cost about $125 per location and are expected to last around seven years, according to Geisel. 


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