Motorists driving past the new ZOOM gas station and convenience store, under construction at Tucker Boulevard and O’Fallon Street in the NorthSide Regeneration development, may be surprised by its oddly configured canopy. But don’t be fooled by its unconventional appearance; the canopy over the gas pumps actually supports a state-of-the-art solar panel system capable of producing 109,000 kWh of electricity annually, enough to power the entire gas station, convenience store and car wash.

Manufactured by Prism Solar Technologies, the glass-on-glass solar panels are capable of generating 35% more energy per Watt than traditional modules through its use of advanced bifacial N-type silicon cell technology that can generate electricity on both its front and back surfaces. The panels also offer exceptional performance in low light conditions due to the additional energy produced by its back surface, which allows ZOOM to maximize its solar investment.

Unique to the St. Louis Metro Area, ZOOM’s high-tech solar panel system is expected to produce energy equivalent to 216,208 lifetime gallons of gasoline not consumed, 2,014 new trees planted each year, 722 lifetime tons of recycled waste and a lifetime of 438 cars taken off the road.

ZOOM gas station and convenience store is expected to open in the fall and will have the added feature of fresh produce provided by the new GreenLeaf Market currently under construction across the street.