The last of 4,784 silicon solar panels that will power Mill 19 at Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green site have been placed, marking the completion of the largest single sloped solar array in the United States.

The $5 million project, completed by Scalo Solar Solutions, comprises a massive scale, covering 133,000 square feet across the frame of Mill 19.  The project is made possible by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the other foundations that comprise Almono LP, the owners of the Hazelwood Green site.

The panels were installed using an innovative access platform netting material, aptly called the Spider WorkWeb, and attaching it to the Mill’s existing steel structure in a manner taut enough for the installers to walk on. 

Each of these LG solar panels were preassembled and tested on the ground, then lifted and fitted into place.  The slope of the roof is 20 degrees, a great angle to capture the majority of the sun’s rays. 

This array will generate over 2 megawatts of power and produce enough energy to power 264 homes annually.

The over quarter-mile long Mill 19 structure includes the steel skeleton of the original mill building, formerly built by the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company in 1943. 

The tenants of this site include Carnegie Mellon University’s Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) and Manufacturing Futures Initiative, and Catalyst Connection in Building A.

Building B houses Aptiv, which recently entered into a joint venture with Hyundai to create autonomous or ‘self-driving’ vehicles.

A former brownfield site, Hazelwood Green is envisioned as a model of sustainable development.

Mill 19 has been designed with the goal of achieving  LEED v4 Gold certification, with a high-performance envelope providing maximum thermal efficiency and up to 96 percent daylight autonomy.

100 percent of the complex’s total electricity usage will be offset by energy generated on site and stormwater will be conveyed through a rainwater garden to centrally located infiltration basins. Captured rooftop rainwater will be reused in the cooling tower and for flushing in the restrooms.

Visit the Hazelwood Green for more information on this former industrial site that has available areas for development.

To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green Story website.

Related Articles This Week:

-- House Environmental Committee To Hold Aug. 24 Hearing On Carbon Emission Reduction Program For Power Plants

-- Senate Environmental Committee Holds Aug. 25 Hearing On Carbon Pollution Reduction Program For Power Plants

-- PA Energy Development Authority Accepting Applications For Energy Project Restart Grants

-- PennTAP: Aug. 20 Webinar On Improving Plant Efficiencies And Performance During Unstable Times

-- Anya Litvak: Gov. Wolf Nominates Hayley Book For PUC, State’s Lead In Joining Carbon Pollution Reduction Program From Power Plants

-- EPA Finalizes Methane Emission Standards For Oil & Gas Industry; Does Not Affect DEP Methane Proposal

[Posted: August 13, 2020]

8/17/2020