MFS Engineers Celebrates Renewable Energy Projects for Earth Day

In honor of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, coming up on April 22, 2020, we’re spreading the word about MFS Engineers’ experience in renewable energy initiatives in both private and commercial construction.

You might have heard before that the sun transmits more solar energy to the earth in sixty (60) minutes than we use globally in an entire year. Radiation, in the form of sunlight, can be harnessed by photovoltaic (PV) cells grouped together to form what we commonly call solar panels. While many factors affect the efficiency of these solar arrays, the environmental advantages are seen by many researchers to outweigh the risks and the solar market has continuously grow in the past decade. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar PV accounted for 40% of all new electric generating capacity in the U.S. in 2019, totaling 13.3 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity.

MFS Engineers & Surveyors understands the benefits of renewables and has worked with developers and utility clients in designing and building solar PV array sites to bring clean energy to our communities.

The San Juan community, where our Puerto Rico and Caribbean offices are based, has a special relationship with solar energy. After Hurricane Maria in 2017, it took months for many citizens to regain power, prompting new plans to rebuild the energy system with preventative measures in place. Some wary individuals, business and communities have opted not to wait for these changes to take place, instead electing to build their own electrical/solar systems to serve their power needs.

One such individual was the owner of a private residence on the waterfront in San Juan, Puerto Rico. MFS’ Solar Energy Division designed and installed a fully integrated residential solar energy system capable of delivering most of the property’s electrical needs and additionally serving as thermal insulation.

One of the biggest challenges was accommodating the solar panel system to the particular arched roof design. MFS’ engineering team successfully created a custom photovoltaic system that evenly harnessed solar energy.

In the south, another green energy initiative comprised a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The client, Toshiba, contracted MFS Engineers to install a 320 kW solar array on the roof of the Home Depot where they have leased the rooftop space.

Part of the company’s “For a Brighter Future” initiative, this was one of two installations in the Caribbean where Toshiba hopes to take advantage of the tropical sun.

Similarly, renewable energy initiatives in the contiguous United States look to make use of unused areas where the sun’s radiation can be maximized in solar PV applications. Throughout the country, farms, universities, converted landfills, and other unlikely places are leasing land for solar projects.

MFS Engineers lead the engineering design for a design/build carport installation at Rutgers University’s Livingston Campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which, at the time of construction, was the largest campus solar energy facility in the nation. The 1.4 MW solar farm generates approximately 10 percent of the electrical demand of the Campus and reduces the university’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,200 tons per year.

Another trend in the last decade has been the conversion of brownfields and landfills to solar farms. Last year, MFS provided professional civil engineering and surveying services for another New Jersey solar field project for PSE&G, which received Engineering News Records’ Best Project award in the energy/renewables category. This superfund turned green energy program, led by CS Energy, can generate a total of 13 MW through solar PV panels.

For more information and renewable energy projects completed by MFS, visit MFSolar.com.