Alcatraz, the name itself gives us a picture of the famous prison in the San Fransisco bay in U.S.
One of America's most notorious prison - also known as the 'Rock' - will now become a permanent host to a 307 kilowatt solar PV system along with a deep cycle battery back-up unit.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) partnered with the National Parks Service (NPS) to install the 1,300 solar panels. The project also used a $3.6 million cash stimulus from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
The solar PV system is set to power lights and appliances and generate upto 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.
The prison has also reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 337,000kg's a year and been able to slash generator hours by more than 60%, all thanks to a 2,000-amp hour deep cycle battery bank and other energy efficiency measures.
The project is part of a larger plan between The US Department of Energy, the NREL and the NPS to bring clean energy to America's national parks and historic landmarks such as Alcatraz.
Andy Walker, senior engineer and task leader for design assistance at the DOE, says solar power saves money on fuel that would otherwise have to be transported to Alcatraz by boat across from the mainland.
"The cost of transporting diesel fuel to the island (maintenance costs and the price of the fuel itself) boosted the cost of electricity for the island to about 76 cents a kilowatt-hour. The PV project brings that cost to 71 cents a kilowatt-hour, and that includes the capital costs of buying the solar panels and erecting them on roofs."
