In the midst of a drought, Chapel Hill officials might soon be hoping for sunny days, given the town's new solar panels.
The Town Council voted Monday to allow the town manager to negotiate an agreement to sell power generated by solar panels to Duke Energy.
The panels, located on top of the South Columbia Street fire station, already have been installed and will be tested in the next few weeks.
"It's sort of a demonstration project," said Bill Terry, who will be leaving the position of sustainability and facilities manager after Friday.
"One of the philosophies of the town council is to lead by example."
In June 2006, the town of Chapel Hill resolved to reduce 60 percent of carbon emissions by 2050.
"To get to that goal, we are going to have to employ many different strategies to reduce our carbon emissions," council member Jim Ward said.
"Every rooftop of every building has the potential to be a location for additional solar panels."
Project Manager Forrest Heath Jr. said the panels will produce about 4.12 kilowatts per hour of daylight. He said that it would take about 25 years to break even on the $38,000 spent on this project.
NC GreenPower spokesman Jeff Brooks said that it will be the first public solar project through the organization.
"It's certainly exciting to see the growth which solar energy is experiencing today," he said.
GreenPower helps make solar power economically viable by paying the provider 18 cents per kilowatt hour. GreenPower supports alternative energy projects throughout the state.
Brooks said that although the materials are expensive, solar power is efficient and has little impact on the environment.
"We anticipate over the years to come that solar prices will become more competitive as more installers and manufacturers enter the industry," Brooks said.
Duke Energy buys 150 to 250 megawatts of its total output from alternative energy sources, including about 50 solar projects, said spokeswoman Mary Kathryn Green.
She said that although alternative energy is a small part of the 19,900 megawatt total output of the five-state corporation, it will become increasingly present in the future.
"Although it's a small number, it's a great thing for them to do," Green said. "Going forward, it's going to be very important as part of our resources."
The power generated from the fire station panels will enter the general power grid of Duke Energy.
And that might not be the end of town solar projects.
Heath said that if funding is located, the town might put solar panels on the new aquatic center on Northern Park Drive.
Hargraves Center already uses some solar energy, and the bus stop in front of Caribou Coffee on Franklin Street will be fitted with solar panels.
Ward said that solar power is a good option for Chapel Hill because it is "clean, green and renewable."
"In this part of the world, wind and water are not resources we have to harness," he said.
"We have lots of clear and sunny days."
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