Solar panels equal savings for Harlingen
HARLINGEN — Harlingen is ready to go solar.
The city will celebrate 308 energy-saving solar panels at 9 a.m. Friday at the Lon C. Hill building.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for a project costing more than $600,000 will save the city money in the long run and will create a more sustainable and economically responsible model, District 2 City Commissioner Robert Leftwich said Monday.
The American-made solar panels produce 72 kilowatts, or about 33 percent of the building’s energy consumption, Leftwich said. The city will save about $7,500 each year on the building’s energy bill.
The idea of creating a more sustainable city is not a new one.
The Energy Conservation and Sustainability Comprehensive Plan adopted by the City Commission in January 2010 was put together by Leadership Harlingen 2010 as a class project.
Leftwich, a member of that class, said the city wanted to have a plan in place for energy conservation and sustainability, so that when applicable grants became available, the city could apply with a prepared plan.
Not long after the city implemented its plan, a grant from the American Reinvestment Recovery Act became available. The city received $645,100 in federal money, and put the funds toward the solar panels at the Lon C. Hill building and its city offices.
Schneider Electric won the bid, which came in at $636,000, Leftwich said.
"There is no local taxpayer money in the entire system," he said.
With the 25-year warranty on the panels, the long-term benefits are immense, he said. He likened the savings to the city’s annual expense in road overlays.
After 25 years, the panels should save the city about $187,500.
"This is one small step toward the goal of becoming more and more energy efficient and cost-conscience with the cost of doing business, in terms of energy," Leftwich said.
