NORTHWOOD – Despite overcast skies Thursday, the power of the sun officially arrived at one city
business.
Flat glass producer Pilkington North America Thursday morning held a ribbon-cutting for a one-acre solar
field that provides power to its research and development facility, located at 2401 E. Broadway Street,
directly east of the field.
"It shows our commitment to renewable energy," and, for the area, shows Toledo is part of the
global critical mass of photovoltaic energy, along with Germany and Japan, said Stephen Weidner, vice
president of Pilkington Business Products, North America, prior to the event.
The site will produce "clean energy every day the sun comes up," he said.
The site uses 3,420 flat solar panels produced by First Solar, which has a production facility in
Perrysburg Township, producing 250 kilowatts, or between 10 and 12 percent of the plant’s power. It
began operation earlier this year.
The field was installed by Hull and Associates, who owns and operates the field and sells the power
produced by the cells back to Pilkington. A newly-created affiliate of Hull, Hull Energy LLC, manages
the project.
Steve Giles of Hull and Associates noted in his remarks that "this was a great local story for the
community" due to the number of local collaborations involved in bringing the $1.5 million project
to fruition. He said that even on a cloudy day such as Thursday at the time of the proceedings, the
panels were operating at 20 percent capacity.

Nearly $681,000 of the funding came from a grant from the Ohio Energy Office through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program.
Eileen Granata of the Ohio Department of Development said in her remarks, referring to renewable energy,
that the project is "really a great example of what this industry is in the state of Ohio."
The installation demonstrates a linkage between the glass, automotive, and solar industries. It is a
reminder, she said, that the region’s past, present and future are evolving, and the future "can be
even greater than our past."
Wood County Commissioner James Carter said after the event that with solar power it is an exciting time
for the country and for the region.
"It’s certainly a terrific re-use of this property," said County Administrator Andrew Kalmar.
The one-acre field, which has the possibility to be expanded 50-fold, is built upon a waste site –
called a sand pond – that came from the demolition of the East Toledo float plant in 1987. The solar
field is located atop a 55-foot mound.
"All these parts made right here," in Northwest Ohio, Kalmar said of the site, "makes it
all the better."