Klondike Gold Rush NHP’s Seattle Solar Panel Array

As a part of a National Park Service initiative to demonstrate the feasibility of generating electricity via solar power, in 2010 a 3kW (kilowatt) solar panel array was installed on the roof of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park visitor center at the Cadillac Hotel (1889), located in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

 An undated photo of the Cadillac Hotel in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Its current occupants include the National Park Service and the Klondike Gold Rush – Seattle Unit (KLSE).

A 2007 study estimated GHG (green house gas) emissions – including emissions from park and visitor activities – within the Park totaled 187 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2E). In contrast, the combined emissions from park operations and visitor activities within the park are roughly equivalent to the emissions from the electricity use of 16 households each year. The 2010 Climate Friendly Parks Action Plan for the Klondike calls for a reduction of GHG emissions from park operations to 5% below 2007 levels by the year 2016. It further calls for reductions in the park operations energy use emissions to 5% below 2007 levels by 2016. Combined with improvements to the museum’s lighting systems, insulating the building envelope, and optimization/replacement of the HVAC, the rooftop solar array will enable the Park to meet its GHG reduction goal.

EAST: 12 REC210AE-US solar panels make up the KLSE Solar Array at the Cadillac Hotel.
The panels each produce a maximum 3kW.

Detail of a 12 REC210AE-US solar panel. 12 panels make up the KLSE Solar Array at the Cadillac Hotel. 

Detail of a 12 REC210AE-US solar panel. 12 panels make up the KLSE Solar Array at the Cadillac Hotel.

Specifications for REC Solar Panels (REC210AE-US)

A SMA “Sunny Boy” Solar Inverter SB300US (above) and a SMA DC-DISCONU-21 Disconnect Switch (below)

No substantial modifications to the building were necessary; to preserve the historic character of the Cadillac Hotel the solar panel array set back on the roof to avoid being seen from the street. On a normal sunny day in Seattle the panels produce and average 2.3 kW per hour while on cloudy days averaging about 300 W/h (watts per hour).

Note: Duke Energy “So what is a Kilowatt-Hour?”