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Centre County will solicit proposals to build
a solar array that can handle the electric
needs for the County Correctional Facility.
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted
unanimously to authorize advertisement of a
request for proposals to design and construct
the 1.7 megawatt solar panel facility on the
jail's grounds.
Bob Jacobs, director of planning, said the
project originally was considered to be part
of the contract with McClure Company for a
series of guaranteed energy savings initiatives
at 12 county buildings. But while negotiations
were ongoing, the county changed its electricity
supplier to decrease its rates and the solar
panel system proposed by McClure would not have
been as cost-effective as initially planned.
Commissioners at the time decided to remove it
from the contract and consider requesting
proposals at a later date to see if it could be
done separately at a better price.
The RFP is expected to be advertised later this
week or next week and staff expect to bring
proposals and recommendations to the commissioners
early next year.
"I'm pleased to see us moving forward with this,"
Commissioner Mark Higgins said. "With solar,
you're fixing your costs. Who knows what coal,
oil, natural gas are going to cost 10 years from
now, but we're going to know to the penny what
that solar array is going to cost us 10 years
from now."
Higgins added that it would increase energy
security at the correctional facility and that
he hopes the array can be see from Interstate 99,
as "a statement that Centre County government is
concerned for the environment, concerned for our
citizens and fixing and possibly decreasing our
energy costs."
Jacobs said it likely would be seen from I-99, as
it would be constructed on 6 acres on the east
side of the jail.
"That allows any potential expansion at the
correctional facility if necessary," Jacobs said.
When first proposed as part of the energy savings
program, the solar array was projected to save
$3.1 million to $3.5 million in energy costs over
a 20-year timeframe.
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