Solar Panels Near Completion in Bedminster

The project for solar panel canopies at the municipal building on Miller Lane is moving along and is expected to be finished soon, according to Bedminster Township Administrator Judy Sullivan.

The project, which is to build several solar canopies in the parking lot of the building, is being done through the Somerset County renewable energy project, in which most towns in the county are participating.

“Most every town in Somerset County is participating with either a school, municipal or library property being impacted,” Sullivan said.

In 2008, the county set aside $1 million to fund audits for municipalities that chose to participate in the renewable energy program.

In 2010, the Somerset County Improvement Authority hired Vanguard Energy Partners, of Branchburg, to construct solar arrays on a total of 31 public sector rooftops in 15 of the municipalities.

There will be at least 60 percent cost savings from each building with the solar panels. And the county will recoup all costs at the end of the 15-year project through the generation of electricity and the sale of the solar renewable energy credits.

According to Sullivan, the Bedminster Department of Public Works building got solar panels on the roof through the county project, and that work is complete.

The canopy project is expected to be done before the end of the year, Sullivan said.

In addition, there will be a kiosk set up in the lobby of the municipal building to indicate how the solar energy gathered through the panels is being used.

“It is totally funded through Somerset County, and is a 15-year agreement,” Sullivan said.

Currently, Sullivan said, Bedminster’s rate per kilowatt hour is 9 cents, and the new price will be 4.1 cents.