Commissioners To Evaluate Solar Energy For County’s Use

By Stephanie Valle

County Commissioners decided on Monday to look into how much it will cost to make county facilities more reliant on solar energy, and less so on other energy sources.

County Judge Anthony Cobos asked the court to issue a request for information on how to retrofit existing buildings with technology to harness solar power.

Currently, the most common way to harness solar power is to install solar photovoltaic panels, but new research may be casting a shadow of doubt concerning the cost effectiveness of the resource.

A study released Friday by researchers with the University of California at Berkeley found that despite increasing popular support for solar photovoltaic panels in the United States, the costs far outweigh the benefits to the community.

The cost for an installation ranges from nearly $86,000 to $91,000, while the value of the power produced ranges from $19,000 to $51,000, the new research shows.

The study also found in extreme situations, the cost of solarpanels is about 80 percent greater than the value of the electricity it will produce. Cobos told the court he isn’t asking for any funding and only wants to find out how much it would cost the county to upgrade its facilities.

The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Dan Haggerty was not in the meeting during the vote.