Milwaukee Central Library

Location
814 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI
Operational date
February 2010
Project
30-kilowatt solar electric roof-mounted array
Total project cost
$279,000
Incentive
$100,000 We Energies
$60,147 Focus on Energy
Estimated savings achieved
$4,000 annually
Success
The Milwaukee Public Library worked with the City of Milwaukee's Office of Environmental Sustainability, We Energies, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Focus on Energy to create a green roof on 30,000 square feet of the Central Library annex. The goal was to create an environmentally friendly, energy efficient structure. We Energies helped fund the solar electric panels on the roof, which generates about 36,000 kilowatt hours per year.
This project replaces 30,000 square feet of traditional non-porous roof with a vegetative system that reduces polluted stormwater runoff, urban heat islands and improves air quality. Over the long-term, the project reduces costs for water treatment systems and infrastructure.
The project includes an observation deck used by the library for tours of the roof.