Flood waters damage Cedar Rapids solar project
CEDAR RAPIDS — The New Bohemia Solar Project did not escape the damage from the Floods of 2008.
Flood waters from the Cedar River came up as high as a foot below the roof-top photovoltaic panels, which escaped damaged, but the inverters were completely submerged. Thankfully, SMA-America, Inc., manufacturer of the Sunny Boy inverters, is offering to inspect the inverters for free to determine if they can be salvaged.
"Against the backdrop of the incredible loss suffered by folks in the area, the solar array is obviously not high priority, but we would like to see them feeding electricity back on to the grid ASAP," said Rich Dana, New Bo project manager. "We want to be helping to power the recovery of the area."
The impact due to the devastating floods in downtown Cedar Rapids is felt far and wide.
"The New Bo Solar Project is a point of pride for the neighborhood," said David Chadima, owner of the project. "Getting them back up and running soon will make a positive psychological impact for our recovery from the flood."
The New Bohemia Solar Project was installed during the summer of 2005 and funded by a $65,000 grant from the US Department of Energy and donations of $75,000 from state and local groups. The project produces 7,200 watts of electricity for the Kouba Building, which is part of a brownfield redevelopment area next to the Bohemian Historic Commercial District in southeast Cedar Rapids. The Kouba Building is part of Cherry Center Properties, a former factory and warehouse that has been converted into a multi-use building that houses graphic arts firms, photographers’ and artists’ studios, small shops, small manufacturers, and loft apartments.