MILWAUKEE -- At the end of 2018, a solar panel canopy was installed on top of a parking garage at 6th and Wisconsin.



Six months later, the owners of the Clark Building and SunVest Solar Incorporated said the panels beat expectations.



The Clark Building went solar in December 2018 when SunVest installed 1,100 solar panels creating a 142 by 151-foot carport over the building parking garage. This 374 kilowatt array generates about 450,000 kilowatts of energy, which is enough to power 40 homes.



"If we are able to have more renewable energy sources, that is going to help our planet. It's going to help our country. It's going to help our communities, and it's going to help our families," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.



In addition to generating electricity, the solar canopy also protects 70 parking spaces from snow in the winter, and its construction didn't require any of those spaces to be eliminated.



