For the moment, this is as flashy as it gets. Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah will be home to a 2.6 megawatt solar system. This massive set of panels will produce 25 percent of the large building’s electricity needs. Bella Energy is performing the installation, and NexGen energy is funding it.
A rooftop solar energy system of this size requires some “creative” financing, as Ted Rose of NexGen told Fast Company. In this case, NexGen Energy outbid competitors to own the system, enabling them to sell power back to the grid for all of Salt Lake County. The price of this solar energy is fixed for 20 years, giving NexGen a stable, low risk investment, and protecting local utility customers from rising power prices. Plus, the Salt Palace gets the clear bragging rights that come with supporting (literally, not figuratively) the nation’s largest rooftop solar system.
Just one more example of why a good roof is a terrible thing to waste.















