Mayor Mallory and Park Board Unveil Solar and Wind Energy Project
Renewable Energy Will Help Power Parks Administration Building
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory News Release
December 12, 2006


  At groundbreaking, L to R:  Parks Director Willie Carden, Third Sun's Geoff Greenfield, Parks Superintendent Gerald Checco,
                             Mayor Mark Mallory, GEO's Bill Spratley and Duke Energy's Jim Lefeld and Marvin Blade.

Eden Park - Mayor Mark Mallory, Director of the Parks Department Willie Carden, and representatives of Duke Energy today unveiled the Solar and Wind Energy Project.  The pilot project is part of the Cincinnati Green Initiative that the Mayor announced in his first State of the City Address.  The project will install solar panels and a wind turbine to generate electricity to power the Parks Board Administration Building.

"This innovative project takes our commitment to a Green Cincinnati to the next level," Mayor Mallory said.  "By using renewable energy to help power our city buildings, we can save money on energy costs and make our city more environmentally friendly."

The Parks Solar and Wind Energy Project is a pilot project designed to use renewable energy to help provide power to the Park Board Administration Building.  The pilot project will demonstrate the effectiveness of using renewable energy to power city buildings.  The results of the project will be used to explore potential expansion of the use of renewable energy to power other city buildings. 

The solar panels and the wind turbine are being installed near the Park Building by Third Sun Solar and Wind Power from Athens, Ohio.  Duke Energy donated the solar panels for the project, valued at $45,000.  The Parks Foundation also secured a $60,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development Office of Energy Efficiency.

"The Park Board is committed to the efficient delivery of basic city services, and this solar &wind power project generates utility cost savings to the taxpayers of Cincinnati," Willie Carden, Director of the Parks Department, said.  "The Parks Board appreciates the opportunity provided by the Mayor's Green Initiative to implement this and other green projects in parks."

Bill Spratley, the Executive Director of Green Energy Ohio also attended the press conference to offer support for the Cincinnati Green Initiative.  Green Energy Ohio is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally and economically sustainable energy policies and practices in Ohio.

Cincinnati Parks Wind and Solar Energy Project Under Construction

LOCATION: Eden Park, Park Board Administration Building, 950 Eden Park Dive, 45202

WHAT:  The Cincinnati Park Board is installing the first phase of a renewable energy system consisting of solar panels and a wind turbine, to generate electricity for the Park Board administration building.  The renewable energy system is a Green Building Pilot project, funded in part with a donation by Duke Energy of solar panels valued at $45,000. Also the Parks Foundation was successful in obtaining a $60,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Energy Efficiency. 

PILOT: The Park Board's Green Energy Building pilot will be a demonstration system which will help educate the public about solar and wind power, and will also provide information to the City of Cincinnati on the practical uses of solar and wind power. The first phase is expected to replace 20% of the energy consumption at the Park Board administration building with renewable energy generated on-site by a combination of photovoltaic solar panels and a wind turbine.

The next phase of installation at this site will be a geothermal system, which is expected to reduce the energy use by another 30-40%. The cumulative 60% reduction in fossil fuel-generated energy will generate a significant cost savings in utilities, as well as an environmental benefit equivalent to planting 2,000 trees.

ABOUT PARKS GREEN INITIATIVE: Parks implemented a series of Green Initiative Pilot Projects this year in response to the Mayor's "Green Agenda" announced in his State of the City address of 2006. Parks green goal is to assess the economic and environmental impacts of new sustainable ("green") energy.  The Green Initiative includes the Green Energy Building Pilot, Fluorescent and LED lights, Biofuels, smart solar compactors, and other smart ?green? technologies. (See details of Green Initiative below)

INSTALLATION DECEMBER 2006:  Third Sun Solar and Wind Power, of Athens Ohio, was awarded the contract to install the wind and solar energy system, consisting of a 10 kW solar panel array and a 10 kW wind generator connected to the Park Board building at Eden Park.  Park visitors and passersby will see the photovoltaic solar panels mounted on the ground near the tree line of the lawn below the Park Board building.  Citizens will see the propeller-shaped wind turbine mounted on a 120 ft. tall pole at the top of the wooded hillside.

ABOUT THIRD SUN:  Third Sun Solar and Wind Power is a design-build contractor specializing in renewable energy systems.  They are an equipment dealer, installer and service provider, and provide system design, service and installation of wind and solar electric systems.  Third Sun is proud to employ two NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installers (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, the industry's highest standard for installers).  The company works in both new construction and retrofit environments, for residential, commercial and institutional customers nationwide, but primarily in Ohio and adjacent states. Contact Third Sun at www.third-sun.com.

Cincinnati Park Board Green Initiative

1 - Green Building Energy Pilot at Park Board Administration Building
· New 10 kW Photovoltaic system - solar panels (install December 2006)
· New 10 kW Wind Turbine (install December 2006)
· New 10 ton Geothermal heating and cooling system (install 2007)
· Light and office equipment assessment (November 2006)
· State grant of $60,000 received
· Photovoltaic panels gifted to Parks Foundation by Duke/ Cinergy
· Goal to reduce energy consumption by 60% (equivalent of planting 2,000 trees)

2 - Biofuels Initiative
· Convert 25% mowing equipment to Soy-based biodiesel Spring 2006
· Convert rest of mowing fleet to biodiesel by December 2006
· Goal to reduce pollution from mowing by 50% by Spring 2007 (equivalent of planting 12,000 trees)

3 - Smart Trash Cans
· Purchase 5 smart cans Spring 2006, evaluate/ confirm benefits
· Find sponsorship for 50 more cans by December 2006
· Total BigBelly Deployment (250) by 2010
· Goal to reduce pollution from trash pickup by half (equivalent of planting 8,000 trees

4 - Reforestation
· Plant 3,500 trees in 20 targeted communities by 2014
· Plant 3,000 trees in non-targeted neighborhoods with private and volunteer leverage
Goal to reach healthy tree canopy coverage in all neighborhoods (25% residential, 10% downtown) by 2024

Parks Board Building To Go 'Green'
Cincinnati Business Courier
December 12, 2006
Solar and wind energy will power the Cincinnati Parks Board administration building in Eden Park, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said Tuesday.

Mallory, along with Willie Carden, director of the city's Parks Department, and representatives from Duke Energy unveiled the pilot project, which will install solar panels and a wind turbine at the building.

Athens-based Third Sun Solar and Wind Power will install the equipment. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) donated the solar panels and the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Energy Efficiency contributed a $60,000 grant.

The results of the project, which is part of Mallory's Cincinnati Green Initiative, will be used to
determine whether other city buildings can utilize green power, according to a news release.