POWERED BY BURKHART-MILLER FAMILIES
In 2023, the Studebaker National Museum was the recipient of an EASSI matching grant which, with the generous support of the City of South Bend and the Burkhart-Miller families, allowed for a new solar panel system to be installed on the building’s roof. This system significantly reduces energy costs and carbon emissions and now produces one quarter of the Museum’s annual energy consumption.
The Burkhart-Miller family has a rich history of innovation, prosperity, and community building. Their legacy of improving the community is apparent throughout the Museum, including the 1928 Fire Truck—which was acquired through a grant from Burkhart Advertising—and now the Museum solar project.
The Energy Assistance & Solar Savings Initiative (EASSI) provides energy assessments, grants, and low-interest loans to community organizations to complete energy efficiency and solar projects.
Harnessing Sunlight
Did you know that in fifteen minutes the sun radiates as much energy as people use in an all forms in an entire year? While our planet only receives a small fraction of the sun’s total output, solar energy is by far the most abundant form of renewable energy available on Earth. Solar technologies like photovoltaic (PV) cells capture this energy and turn it into electricity for homes and businesses.
Over 200 PV solar panels sit on the roof of the museum. When the sun shines onto a panel, energy from the sunlight is absorbed by the PV cells in the panel. This energy creates electrical charges that move in response to an internal electrical field in the cell, causing electricity to flow. A solar inverter converts DC power to AC power, which is then distributed to the museum’s electrical system.
By harnessing the power of the sun the Studebaker National Museum echoes its electric roots as an automaker, blending history with renewable energy!
