Franklin County Extension Office Completes Solar and Battery Installation
New Solar PV System Expected to Save County Taxpayers Over $10,000 per Year in Electricity Costs at Extension Office
Frankfort, Kentucky - The Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office is looking forward to their next electric bill, to see how much they saved in the first month since their new solar electric system began operation. The 164-panel solar PV (photovoltaic) system is expected to meet nearly 100% of the office’s net annual electricity needs. Although they will remain tied to the utility grid, a net metering agreement with Kentucky Utilities Co. will allow the office to earn credits for any excess power they produce on sunny days and redeem those credits at nighttime and on cloudy days.
“We expect the solar array to reduce Extension’s electric bills by about $10,000 per year,” said Andy McDonald, the director of Apogee - Climate & Energy Transitions, who advised the Extension Office throughout development of the project. “The system should pay for itself in about 10 years and with a 25-year warranty on the solar panels, this makes for a really good long-term investment for the agency.”
The solar PV and battery system was installed by Daily Green Power of Elizabethtown over the course of four weeks in August and September. “With four Tesla Powerwall batteries, the project will provide back-up power for critical loads at the office,” said David Gomez, owner of Daily Green Power. “This will enable them to keep their computers and lights on, keep refrigerators and freezers operating, and keep other critical circuits operational during grid outages. It also creates a resilience center for the community during emergencies, offering a shelter with power when the grid is down.”
The Extension Office expects to receive a $66,000 “Direct Pay” rebate from the US Treasury to offset 40% of the project’s initial cost, $165,000. The Direct Pay program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, enabling tax exempt agencies and organizations (including local governments and churches) to claim the equivalent of the Federal tax credits for clean energy projects. The project should provide net savings of over $225,000 during the first 25 years of operation.
The 68 kilowatt (KW-DC) solar array used Silfab solar PV panels, which provide a 25-year product warranty and 30-year power production warranty. The Silfab solar panels were manufactured in Washington State.
The County Extension Office will host an open house and workshop on November 12th at 6:00pm to tour the new system, explain how solar and battery systems work, and discuss grant opportunities that are available for Kentucky farmers and small businesses.
The Franklin County Extension Office is a partner in Solarize Frankfort, a community program organized by the Kentucky Solar Energy Society. The Extension Office solar project received technical assistance from Apogee – Climate and Energy Transitions, a clean energy program based in Frankfort, and the Kentucky State University Land Grant Program.
Contact: Andy McDonald, Apogee-Climate & Energy Transitions, 502-682-9920.
