Largest Solar Project in St. Louis Now Serving Customers

Atop a BJC HealthCare (BJC) parking garage in St. Louis, a 1.8-megawatt solar installation is now generating renewable energy for Ameren Missouri’s power grid. 

The project, the first under the utility company’s Solar Partnership program, is touted as the largest in the St. Louis region. It comprises more than 4,500 solar panels – covering the area equivalent of two football fields – and is expected to generate 2.4 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. 

"This innovative program is the first of its kind in St. Louis, and it's a win for everyone," said Michael Moehn, past president of Ameren Missouri. "Our customers win through more renewable energy on the grid. BJC HealthCare wins by turning uncovered garage space into something productive. And Ameren Missouri wins by expanding our commitment to clean, renewable energy."  

“We are pleased to join Ameren Missouri in leading the way in the St. Louis community on this renewable energy program,” said Rich Liekweg, BJC HealthCare president and CEO. “While BJC is known for innovation in health care, we also seek to partner with others in ways that promise progress for our region. We hope we are just the first of many organizations to join Ameren Missouri's Solar Partnership program in creating renewable energy across the state.” 

The solar facility is located on top of the 3,000-space, BJC employee parking garage on Duncan Avenue near the Cortex District in midtown St. Louis. Through the collaborative partnership, BJC – one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States – licenses its property to Ameren Missouri to install equipment to generate solar energy. 

Construction began in January 2019 and the solar facility began generating 1.8 megawatts of clean energy earlier this fall. Ameren Missouri owns and operates the facility.

The eight-story BJC garage offered a prime location for solar energy generation because of its unobstructed exposure to the sky. In addition to generating 1.8 megawatts of energy, the structure supporting the solar panels provides shade for the cars on the top level of the garage.  

Project facts:

  • Number of steel beams: 216 beams/67 columns

  • Steel weight: 400 tons

  • Number of solar panels: 4,547 panels

  • Area of solar panels: approximately 100,000 square feet

  • Weight of all solar panels: 215,982 pounds

  • Size of each solar panel: 21 square feet

  • Capacity: 1.8 megawatts

  • Number of kilowatt-hours of energy per year: 2.4 million, which is enough energy to meet the needs of more than 180 homes for a year.

Published on by Gregory Hauenstein.