On May 4th, Hopkins County officials joined area business and civic leaders marked the grand opening of a 190-kW building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) rooftop project atop the Hopkins County Civic Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas. A 45,000 square-foot area over the horse stables has been covered with SOLR metal roof panels from Cleveland-based Sheffield Metals International. The project has a zero-year payback because $827,000 of its $1 million dollar cost having been funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA). The remainder of the cost was offset by $175,000 in rebates offered by the area's utility provider. The electrical installation was handled by CamSolar, a Dallas/Forth Worth-based company. Preliminary calculations estimate the roof will be able to produce approximately 292,355 kWh of electricity annually, saving approximately $45,000 per year on utility bills and resulting in a CO2 reduction of 454,874 pounds annually. The thin-film solar system integrates aesthetically within the standing seams of the metal roof on this multi-purpose facility, which is comprised of meeting rooms, an air-conditioned coliseum, a 40,000 square-foot livestock pavilion, a 1,500-seat theater and a new Equine Pavilion. The facility also will be able to collect data from the system in real time and utilize the information to calculate savings.