Mesa Library installing solar panel canopies to generate energy, provide shaded parking

PHOENIX — The Mesa Main Library began installing solar panel canopies that will generate energy and provide shaded parking for guests on Monday.

Construction is expected to continue through March, according to a news release from the city of Mesa.

Guests visiting while construction is underway will be required to park at the designated parking area on Centennial Street.

Visitors with disabilities can access temporary ADA parking near the Centennial Street entrance, which is east of the library.

Why is the Mesa Library installing solar panel canopies?

City officials believe the panels will help combat the rising costs of electricity by using a renewable and affordable source of energy.

Upon completion, the new panels will provide shaded parking for approximately 660 parking spaces in downtown Mesa.

Mesa City Council approved the installation as part of a larger project to add more than 2,000 kilowatts of solar panels at four different downtown buildings.

The other buildings receiving solar panel canopies are along the city’s Sixth Street campus, including the Charles K. Luster Building, the Transportation Building and the Solid Waste Division and Electric Meter Shop.

This comes after the city has also installed solar generation projects and solar panel canopies across the parking lots and rooftops of many public buildings in recent years.

The Mesa City Hall parking lot, the Mesa Municipal Building parking lot, the Red Mountain Library parking lot, the Red Mountain Center parking lot, the Fiesta Police Substation parking lot, the Fire Station parking lot and the city of Mesa ice rink rooftop have all already received solar panels.

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