‘Savings, security and stewardship.’ Solar project underway at Centre County Correctional Facility
Construction on the Centre County solar array is underway, and once complete, officials expect the project will save money, increase stewardship and make the correctional facility one of the most energy efficient public facilities in the state.
During a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, county and state officials celebrated the installation of over 330 posts that will hold more than 3,000 panels. Located at 700 Rishel Hill Road in Benner Township, the array will cover six acres of land and the ground mounted photovoltaic bifacial solar panels will capture direct and indirect sunlight to generate enough electricity to power 170 homes for an entire year. The project could save the county as much as $6 million over 40 years.
“Today represents savings, security and stewardship,” Commissioner Michael Pipe said. “The solar panels and the energy they’re going to produce are going to offset many of our current costs that we have for rising electricity costs.”
In May, the board of commissioners voted 2-1 to install a 1,196 kilowatt solar array at a cost of $1.6 million. Commissioner Steve Dershem voted against the motion, citing concerns with cost. The agreement with Solar Renewable Energy, LLC covers a 25-year period and includes annual service payments of $101,000 for years 1-5 and an early termination fee of $567,411 in year six to purchase the generation system.
When the county began discussing investing in solar power, Commissioner Mark Higgins said the correctional facility spent $168,000 per year on electric. Once the solar array is up and running, he estimates the bill will decrease to $5,000 per year.
“Centre County Government will save between $4-6 million over a 40-year period,” Higgins said, adding that the array is expected to generate more than 61 million kilowatt hours during its lifespan.
In 2018, the county embarked on a Guaranteed Energy Savings Act Program with McClure Company for all of its major facilities. As part of that initiative, the correctional facility was retrofitted with LED lights, on demand hot water heaters and a cooling tower to enhance the energy efficiency of the geothermal system — a feature that has been part of the building since its 2005 construction.
While Dershem voted against the project, he hopes the solar array will save the county money in the future — even if “it might take decades to pay off.”
“This is a much bigger, grander scheme of what we thought was going to be energy savings for Centre County Government,” Dershem said. “We do realize that there is value, not only to the taxpayer, but to the environment and so many other things.”
The solar array should be able to completely power the jail, and since the project is located next to the facility, excess power will be sold back at retail rates, which the county will bank and pull from on cloudy days when not enough energy is generated.
According to Jason Wert, of Energy and Environmental Engineering, the panels will have 85% of life after 30 years of use.
“These are very long-term investments that can provide a very long-term benefit to the community and the region,” Wert said.
Solar Renewable Energy President and CEO Douglas Berry said the panels will be installed over the next few weeks. Weather permitting, construction is expected to be done in March, and the array will be functioning by April.
With this project, Centre County joined a series of organizations that have invested in renewable energy, including Penn State, UAJA, Millheim Borough, Burkholder’s Country Market and Penns Valley Veterinary Clinic.
In the future, former Ferguson Township Supervisor Peter Buck said the Solar Power Purchase Agreement Partners, an intergovernmental committee, is looking to invest in a solar array that would cover 100 acres of land and save an estimated $14 million over 25 years. That project, he said, could take another two years to develop.
