[Not a valid template]Delaware City now has a solar panel system that is supplying most power used in municipal buildings.
The project involved no upfront costs to the city and will save an estimated $1 million over the 20-year period of the contract. The system was dedicated on Monday on property that also houses a baseball field. The land was turned over to the city by the Delaware City Refinery.
Collin O’Mara, secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, praised Delaware City Manager Richard Cathcart for moving the project forward.
Former Mayor John Buchheit and current Mayor Stanley Green also raised the work of Cathcart, a former state legislator who was knowledgable about alternative energy options.
Nearly 1,900 solar panels will supply 96 percent of the electricity used in municipal structures. The project was developed and will be operated by Solar City, which used solar panels from Motech America, based in Glasgow.
Solar power is subsidized under the state’s program requiring 25 percent of electric power to come from alternative sources.
That has drawn fire from the Caesar Rodney Institute, which says costs of the program result in higher energy prices for rate-payers and suggests construction of natural gas-fired plants.
In the case of Delaware City, bids for the solar power came in below the amount charged by utilities, making the project feasible. In addition, the city has undertaken energy conservations measures to further lower costs.
The cost of solar power has declined as the costs of solar panels drop and systems become more efficient.
