Solar Panels Restored on EEC, First County Building With Them

When the Somerset County Park Commission's Environmental Education Center was built in Basking Ridge in 1976, it was one of the first educational buildings in the nation to have solar panels as one of the primary features.

On Thursday, Somerset County officials gathered outside the building for an official ribbon cutting on a new solar installation that will keep the wooded EEC building current for today's solar technology.

"It's particularly fitting that we're unveiling solar panels here at the  Environmental Education Center, which was one of the first educational facilities in the U.S. to feature solar panels back in the 1970s," said freeholder Patricia Walsh, park commission liaison.

"Now that solar energy is enjoying renewed interest almost 40 years later, the EEC has come full circle," she added.

The original panels were effective for more than 20 years, according to information from the county, but the system eventually was compromised due to roof leaks and difficulty locating replacement parts. Funding for the original solar panel installation had been provided by the Energy Research and Development Administration.

Built to enhance the use of solar energy, the 18,000-square-foot building faces 14 degrees east of south, perfect positioning for solar energy.

In February, 2012, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a bond ordinance financed through the Somerset County Improvement Authority that allowed for new solar installation projects completed or underway throughout Somerset County, including at school districts such as Somerset Hills and roof installations on Bernards Township school buildings.

The Environmental Education Center was one of the sites included in what the county is calling a "taxpayer-neutral" initiative.

The financing is structured so that participating entities will not incur debt service or out-of-pocket costs while incurring electric bills at a reduced rate as a result of the solar-energy production. Annual cost savings on the electricity generated by the solar panels is estimated at almost 20 percent or more, depending on solar project size and other factors.

Somerset County spokesman Rich Reitman said Thursday that the county will get the financial benefit. However, he said, it is difficult to estimate the precise return since the sale of solar renewable-energy certificates (SRECs) to energy companies varies due to market conditions.

However, the county announced this week that it expects to recoup all costs from SunLight General Capital through SunLight’s generation of electricity and sale of the corresponding SRECs, thereby making the entire project at no cost to taxpayers.

The EEC has long been a center for the county's environmentally oriented programs, such as the upcoming Eco-Rally in which participants are asked to identify ways they can reduce their impact on the environment.

Information on all Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found online at the Somerset County Parks Commission website.