Solar Winds Makes Alternative Energy a Reality for West Michigan Organizations

Solar Winds Power Systems, LLC has been a leading provider of solar electric systems in Southwest Michigan for over a decade. The company has completed over 200 installations for commercial, industrial, and residential solar applications since 2008. By providing solar electric systems to the region, Solar Winds demonstrates environmental stewardship, economic vitality, and social responsibility in its work. 

The St. James Project, a new affordable housing project for Grand Rapids, includes a solar electric system that Solar Winds completed in 2019. Located at 750 First St. NW, Grand Rapids and funded by various community partners, the original historical building has been preserved and converted into 52 units consisting of both apartments and townhomes. Originally constructed in the 1920’s the building once served as a Catholic school and has a ballasted roof system. Essentially, the roof is a “floating” membrane that is weighed down as deemed appropriate by engineers. While the roof may be floating, it boasts a 105 mile per hour wind rating. The St. James roof also has a parapet, meaning that the roof has a short barrier wall which borders the top of the building and helps with wind resistance. Due to both the ballasted system and the parapet, the roof of St. James is truly ideal in terms of containing the weight of the solar electric system and shielding it from the wind. It is also ideal in terms of sustainability due to the fact that ballasted roof systems excel at insulating and are entirely recyclable.

The solar panels on the St. James Project is the largest single-building installation in company history.

The solar electric system for the St. James Project is the largest system on one building for the company since its founding. The system consists of 309 total solar panels that are 350 watts each. These are Q-cell panels, which are tier-1 panels, meaning these panels are highly reliable and have an excellent reputation for quality and performance. Solar Winds then interfaced with the building’s electrical system, which was held by Van Heren Electric. Van Heren contractors installed service panels to allow the power to be distributed throughout the building and to each unit. Finally, Pioneer Construction was contracted to reinforce existing walls in order to fully support the solar panels, following City of Grand Rapids inspection recommendations.

There is great community value having solar as part of the St. James Project, both to the new tenants and to the Grand Rapids community as a whole. The entire building has one electric meter, so each unit’s electricity becomes part of the rent. The solar electric system on the building covering 35-40 percent of the buildings’ electricity needs inherently carries a utility offset and payoff. And it thereby prevents rent increases for tenants. Additionally, the community may benefit from net-metering, whereby surplus power from the solar electric system on the St. James building goes directly onto the electric grid and helps the neighborhood. Once there is a whole year of data available from the St. James solar system, project partners will have the ability to analyze it further. At that point there will be extensive information, and Solar Winds staff reviews that information with building owners to make sure they understand their data. Mike Linsea, co-founder of Solar Winds Power Systems, LLC, says that the company works with building owners long-term to understand data gleaned from their solar electric systems, which can encourage building owners to seek additional energy and cost savings opportunities for years to come.

Solar Winds Power Systems (SWPS) is located in Shelbyville, MI. Serving the metropolitan and rural areas of Michigan: Including, but not limited to, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Detroit, Ann Arbor, St. Joseph, and Jackson.