Downtown is Going Green - Installing Solar Panels for Energy Savings

Sheen Parveen
FOX 13 meteorologist

TAMPA - As the summer heat bears down on us, electric bills rise. But if you can't beat it, you can always join it, and that's just what Hillsborough County is doing.

Finally, solar panels are ready to fuel three county public buildings: The old courthouse, tax collector's office, and All People's Life Center.

Randy Klindworth has been waiting for this moment for nearly 10 years, and he is overjoyed.

"It's a neat thing and I wish more people would do it," the energy manager for Hillsborough County said. "It's renewable energy and we need more of that."

The solar panels were all funded by federal stimulus dollars, something Klindworth says will save taxpayers money in the long run. Eco Technologies in Sarasota won the bid and believes solar power is cleaner and more readily available than coal.

Andrew Tanner is one of the owners of Eco Technologies, and he explains, "It just makes sense, as the cost of energy does keep rising and we have a finite amount of coal, that we do as much as we can to harness the renewable resources we have on our planet," said Andrew Tanner, one of the owners of Eco Technologies. "The sun is really a nuclear power plant in the sky."

If the solar panels look familiar to you, check your calculator. They were both invented by the same man.

The application process is simple; the panels just stick right on.

"It's going to add only one pound per square foot to the whole roof," Tanner explained, citing the thinness of each panel. "A normal crystalline module would add about three pounds per square foot."

Perfect for Florida, the panels withstand 150 mph winds and are 15 percent more effective than traditional solar panels, which will likely be a positive impact on the county's bottom line.

"We're saving over two million dollars a year now," explained Klindworth. "My goal is more like three and a half, four million dollars a year, so we're getting there, but we got a ways to go."

Once the project is completed in September, the tax collector's office and courthouse will make up the largest solar panel array in a downtown metropolitan area in the country.

Little by little, the "sunshine state" is right on the money.

 

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All Children's Hospital to partner with Johns Hopkins

By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 20, 2010

In a collaboration expected to strengthen its research and academic medical programs, All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg announced today it will join the Johns Hopkins Health System.

The merger gives All Children's an opportunity to "jointly shape the future of children's health care in partnership with an unparalleled leader in medical research and teaching," Claudia Sokolowski, chairwoman of the All Children's Health System board, said in a written statement.

"The potential impact for St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida is significant and lasting," Sokolowski said.

Edward Miller, the dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said he and All Children's Hospital officials were in talks for a couple of years about integration.

All Children's approached Johns Hopkins because it sought to "jump up another level" in research and teaching, Miller said.

Johns Hopkins officials were impressed with All Children's doctors and how the hospital was run, which made the merger appealing to both parties, Miller said.

"They wanted the ability to invigorate their research programs," Miller said. "We thought we could match their desires with the strengths we possess."

The move marks the first time Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins will partner with an institution outside of its home state. Johns Hopkins employs more than 32,000 people and has an estimated economic impact on Maryland of about $6.4 billion annually.

Integration with Johns Hopkins will probably mean more research dollars – through grants from national medical institutions or philanthropic gifts – for All Children's, Miller said.

The collaboration allows Johns Hopkins' Baltimore-based medical staff and researchers to enhance its presence in Florida, according to a staff memorandum by George Dover, director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins.

The merger allows the more than 750 residents in Johns Hopkins' Baltimore hospitals to train and have residencies in St. Petersburg, Miller said.

"Overall, it means more education, research and clinical opportunities for our pediatric faculty," Dover wrote.

A residency or research project in the Sunshine State is an attractive option for Johns Hopkins doctors looking to get away from harsh Northern winters, Miller said.

 

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