Solar power plan approved for Lower Bucks Government Services Center in Bristol - The Reporter
Solar power plan approved for Lower Bucks Government Services Center in Bristol
The new Lower Bucks Government Services Center in Bristol Township will be outfitted with an array of energy-producing solar panels, under a recently approved plan that is the latest “aggressive” step in Bucks County’s aim to make the area “a cleaner, greener” place.
The county commissioners unanimously OK’d a $29,490 contract with Blue Bell-based engineering firm Schiller and Hersh Associates Inc. to design the panels at the new two-story, 39,000-square-foot facility that will house 13 County departments. The contract also provides for construction consultation services.
“Since taking the office in 2020, this administration has aggressively sought out ways to ‘go green’ and reduce the county’s carbon footprint,” said Bob Harvie, commissioner chairman. “From bold ideas like signing onto the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Initiative to simply switching to LED lights in our buildings, this solar field is another project that keeps the promise of a cleaner, greener Bucks County.”
Electricity created at the site could be sold back to PECO, reducing the county’s utility bill and helping power the new center and surrounding neighborhood, said Michael Connelly, General Services Deputy Director of Operations.
Tentative plans have the solar panel system on a portion of land with limited options for redevelopment because of prior industrial use at the site. Reuse of the “brownfield site” will allow the county to pursue federal rebates in addition to those funds available for green energy technology.
Said Harvie: “That we can help accomplish our environmental vision and also potentially save the taxpayers millions at the same time is a win-win.”
The administration’s drive for environmentally friendly changes and a “cleaner, greener” county began in late 2019 and since has included adding electric vehicles to the county’s fleet, hiring the county’s first Sustainability Director and joining a “joint power purchasing” agreement with neighboring counties.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.