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Green River Market. Solar panels were recently installed on buildings in the city’s River Market area. Joe Jarosz

 

By JOE JAROSZ
Northeast News
March 26, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – One of the greenest areas in Kansas City is getting a little greener.

The River Market, located in northeast Kansas City, Mo., has installed solar panels on the east side of the market. The River Market is home to one of the largest public farmers’ markets in the Midwest.

In a partnership with Kansas City Power and Light, as well as Mark One Electric, two 25 kilowat solar systems are being installed on the south-facing roof of the Arabia Steamboat Museum. The systems were designed by Solar Design Studio for KCP&L and have been leased to the city. Panel installation by Mark One Electric will be completed this month and the system will be fully operational by late spring.

The new panels will reduce the amount of generated energy needed to power the market’s east bank of buildings, providing a significant savings in electricity costs and making Kansas City one of the top cities in the U.S. to use solar power rooftop systems.

The City Market joins nearly 65 other locations in Kansas City to receive solar panels as part of the city’s plan to make Kansas City one of the largest users of on-site generated solar power in the state. The installations also help make the city the largest municipal user of solar-generated electricity in municipal operations in the four-state area (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska) of U.S. EPA Region 7.

In addition to the solar panels, the City Market has implemented a number of environmentally friendly projects, including a compost and recycling program that diverts almost 400 tons of compost, cardboard and other material from local landfills.

In a press release, Deb Churchill, vice president and property manager for the City Market, said the core values of the City Market made it an “ideal location” to implement long-term sustainability practices.

“Patrons have come to expect local and sustainable food at the City Market; it only makes sense to strive to meet similar goals throughout our entire operation,” Churchill said.