More Buildings on Tap for Solar in the Future
In keeping with Pitkin County’s Strategic Plan to be a good steward of the environment, a government facility has been outfitted with enough solar panels to provide all of its electrical needs. The Public Works facility, which houses the Pitkin County fleet department, Road and Bridge, Open Space Rangers and Engineering is now shrouded with 303 solar panels capable of producing 104 kilowatts of electricity.
“That’s more than enough electricity to power Public Works,” said Pitkin County Engineer, G.R. Fielding and Pitkin County solar project lead. “We can’t claim to be net-zero at Public Works because we also use natural gas, but installing clean electricity is a priority and this is an enormous step,” Fielding said.
The approximately $225,000 project was funded by the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners and the Community Office for Resource Efficiency.
Public Works is the first Pitkin County facility to be powered with solar. Planning is underway for solar panels to be included in a facility at the Pitkin County Solid Waste Center/Landfill in 2018.
In addition to environmentally-friendly solar panels, Pitkin County has added electric vehicles to its fleet. There are currently 3 fully electric vehicles in the fleet and 15 hybrids that are used for county business. There are five electric vehicle charging stations located at the Public Works facility at 76 Service Center Road across from the airport that are open to the public.
Contact: G.R. Fielding, Pitkin County Engineer - 920-5206