Alternate Energy Company (AEC) celebrates the conversion of Pigeon Key’s electrical system from local diesel generated to a Solar PV System, making the educational facility and visitor attraction energy efficient.

A 11’ x 95’ solar array will offset nearly 95% of the small island’s electrical needs which is located beneath a section of the old Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon in the Florida Keys.

For more than 100 years, electrical power on Pigeon Key was generated by steam or diesel generators. But soaring fuel prices have taxed the Pigeon Key Foundation’s annual operating budget. With the price of solar energy equipment coming down and the cost of fuel going up, the conversion to solar energy was a sound economic decision. The 99 MAGE 250W solar panels used in the 24KW array were provided by AEC. Two large banks of 48V batteries store the electricity and feed 240-volt inverters that can handle most of the island’s electrical needs.