Photos courtesy of the City of New Albany
If you’ve driven past the City of New Albany Public Service complex at Bevelhymer Rd. and Walnut St. lately, you may have noticed a major addition. In September, we completed a six-week project to install 271 solar panels on our garage building roof. The roof’s size, orientation, pitch and material construction made it a perfect fit for this 5,570-square-foot solar panel project.
With environmental sustainability as one of our community pillars, we at the City of New Albany are doing our part to foster and encourage the adoption of alternative energy sources. Pursuing environmentally sustainable strategies like this solar panel installation can greatly reduce the cost and consumption of energy, while lowering carbon emissions and reducing fossil fuel consumption in the city.
At a cost of $231,777.47, the project is a significant investment that will produce long-term savings. The solar panels are expected to produce up to 131,166 KWh (Kilowatt hours) of power annually, essentially cutting our electricity costs at the Public Service complex in half. Also, the projected 30-year lifespan of the panels will allow the project to pay for itself.
More importantly, this particular project will protect our environment by annually removing 112 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air. That is the equivalent of planting 2,800 new trees!
Photo courtesy of City of New Albany
Efforts like this solar panel installation follow the recommendations of the Engage New Albany Strategic Plan, which encourages the adoption of alternative energy sources within the city.
Anyone interested in pursuing solar energy should schedule a consultation with the City of New Albany’s community development team. Plan submittals would be required for all commercial and residential solar projects along with building, electrical and zoning permits. Each residential area would also require an approval from the homeowner association. Our development team can be reached at development@newalbanyohio.org
or 614-939-2254. To get a better look at what we have installed on our roof, I encourage you to drive by our complex or watch a recently produced video about the solar panels on any of the city’s social media accounts and newalbanyohio.org.
Whether it is installing recycling re- receptacles in city buildings, replacing street lights with more energy-efficient LED light bulbs or investing in alternative energy projects, the City of New Albany is dedicated to being a good steward of our environment. We hope you will join us and do your part to make the world a safer and healthier place for all of us.
Mark Nemec is the City of New Albany Public Service Director. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
