Solar to power DEP building
July 23, 2012 ·
The state agency that oversees the environment is making a change to its own environment.
Over 108 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the
DEP building in Kanawha City. Once the solar array begins producing later
this summer it will provide 30,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per
year. That’s enough to power two average
sized homes.
The DEP also installed a
rooftop solar thermal hot water system.
Based on
current usage, DEP officials expect to save close to four thousand dollars in
utility bills in the first year.
Work on the
solar project began two years ago. It
cost over 290 thousand dollars and was paid for by federal stimulus funds.
The DEP will
become the first state government agency building to be partially powered by
the sun.