Buncombe County Commissioners Approve $10.1 Million Solar Project
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Last week, Buncombe County's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve 47 solar projects for county-owned buildings, Asheville City and Buncombe County schools, and A-B Tech Community College. This project came in more that $400,000 less than its expected budget, as a testament to the power of aggregated procurement.
The project will save an estimated $1 million in energy costs annually, take advantage of Duke Energy Progress' solar rebate, cut 6.6 megatons of carbon emissions annually, and produce enough energy to power 1,125 homes for a year. The solar projects are expected to be revenue-positive beginning in year one thanks to utility savings, the rebate from Duke Energy Progress, and income from selling excess solar power back to the grid.
Read the County's press release here for more details.
This project has had wide community support since its Request for Proposals was released last year, and the County Commissioners received hundreds of comments asking them to vote in favor of it. This is an important initial step toward achieving 100 percent renewable energy for Buncombe County, and will be the first of many projects.
See below or view presentation slide 4 here for a list of the 47 sites where solar will be installed in this project.
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