Atlantic City’s Convention Center has entered into a unique deal which will see 290,000 square feet of roof space taken up with solar photovoltaic cells (solar panels, to you and me!). The solar cells will cover around two-thirds of the roof and are expected to save around $4.4 million over the next 20 years and the Center has claimed that when installed, the panels will be the largest single-building solar energy project in the US.

The Convention Center have an interesting contract with Pepco, the local electricity firm. Pepco are paying to have the solar panels installed at the Center and the Convention Center will then buy back the electricity they generate from the utility firm.

It is expected that the solar cells will generate around 2.36 megawatts of energy each day – enough to power around 280 houses. Work is planned to start within the next month and should be completed by the end of the year. The Convention Center is also looking at the possibility of using wind turbines to help generate even more power from renewable sources.

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