Title
Vote to approve a contract for installing solar panels on the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center and authorize the County Manager to negotiate and sign the contract.
Abstract
Introduction & Background: A qualitative study was conducted shortly after the County received SolSmart Gold Designation to determine the solar potential of various County buildings. The Agriculture and Conference Center was one of the most promising buildings due to its orientation and sun exposure. Last fiscal year, a contractor was hired to develop a preliminary solar design and assist the County with the Interconnection Agreement and Solar Rebate application with Duke Energy. The interconnection application and solar rebate with Duke Energy have both been approved and finalized. This is a contract to install the solar panels and connect it to the building power system.
Discussion & Analysis: Duke Energy has approved the installation of a 154 kilowatt (kW) solar system. For reference, a typical system for a home would be 8-10 kW. The size of the system is limited by Duke Energy to the largest kW demand billed over the last 12 months. The system should produce enough electricity to offset approximately 35% of the building's electricity use. Most of the solar system components are designed to last 25 years with very little required maintenance. By reducing the amount of electricity used from the Duke Energy grid, the solar system will reduce the County's carbon "footprint," or the amount of greenhouse gases attributed to County operations.
In addition to the electricity production and clean energy benefits, the solar panels will be visible to the many people throughout the year who use the Center for meetings or events. Seeing solar panels on the building will be a visible reminder of the County's commitment to clean energy and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
A bid opening for this project was held on October 6. The lowest responsible, respons...
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