Footage from the installation at Highbridge Power Plant in Saint Paul, MN.
In 2008, with election season in full swing, Ralph got a call from an engineer friend at Xcel Energy. The Republican National Convention was scheduled to be held in Saint Paul, Minnesota - and candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin planned to visit Xcel’s nearby High Bridge Power Plant.
Xcel wanted to showcase renewable energy during the visit and asked if IPS could complete an array at the plant beforehand. The initial call was in June and the visit would be in September, which made for a tight timeline. Not shying away from the challenge, Ralph agreed to take on the project.
The system was completed with a week to spare: it was amazing to see how top security clearance could speed up a job. And the candidates each got to shake hands with our governor with the solar arrays as the backdrop.
The array is still producing, IPS still values its relationships with utilities (and both sides of the aisle), and we still get even the most challenging jobs done right and on time!
2021 marks a major milestone for IPS, and we'd be thrilled to have company join us in celebrating 30 years of solar.
