It costs Fountain Inn $35,000-$40,000 a year to power the lights at their Civic Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. They could save half that with solar panels up on the roof, but so far, high installation costs have prevented them from switching to solar.
“By banding together as three cities, I think we’ll have a slightly better shot than if we were just to go at it on our own.”
– Karin Von Kaenel, the project’s coordinator.
If things go as planned, that may change soon.
The Golden Strip member cities – Fountain Inn, Mauldin and Simpsonville – have applied jointly for a “GO GREEN” energy grant – part of the federal stimulus package – that would pay for solar panels to be installed on one building in each city.
The $2.6 million they’ve requested for “The Golden Strip Goes Green” project would save each city $1,000′s per year – an estimated $98,143 a year in energy costs – and provide an educational resource for the public and a pilot program for other South Carolina cities at the same time according to the grant application.
Even though it’s only a sliver of the $787 billion stimulus package that President Obama signed into law back in February, the grant is still no sure thing. For a piece of the $6 billion in grants that go directly towards state and local governments, the Golden Strip is competing with other similar-sized cities nationwide for a share of $63.7 million available.
Fountain Inn would save an estimated $20,550 per year by switching to solar power, according to an energy audit performed by three local businesses, Kaenel said.
Fountain Inn chose the Civic Center because it has the highest annual power bill and could benefit the most from the switch, according to Fountain Inn City Administrator Eddie Case. He said the solar panels would power the building’s lighting but not its heating.
Mauldin would save almost $5,400 a year in energy costs with solar panels at its Sports Center, while Simpsonville would save $20,550 a year at its Activities & Senior Center, Von Kaenel said.
Besides installing solar panels, the grant would pay for each city’s switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs in 23 city buildings. It also would fund an education program that would provide residents with CFL bulbs in exchange for non-CFL bulbs. However, the majority of the money would go toward retrofitting the three buildings – one per city – with solar panels, Von Kaenel said.
We’ll have to wait until March 15, when the Notice of Grant Awards is published, to learn whether or not the Golden Strip cities landed any funds, which will be available in May, but the wait would certainly be worth it.
President Obama and Vice President Biden tour the Denver Museum of Nature and Science roof with Blake Jones, president of a Colorado solar company, ahead of signing an economic stimulus package loaded with clean-energy incentives.
Credit: The A.P.
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