Black Mountain plans to add solar panels to the roof of the Carver Center in the next few weeks, a project that should provide fruits, and eventually free energy.
“I think we should have it in every town building,” said City Councilman Pam King, a consistent advocate of the city’s use of renewable energy. “We’re doing it as fast as we can. It’s just a funding thing. It definitely pays off. It’s an investment, really.”
Formerly home to the Department of Recreation and Parks, Carver Center has served in the past few years as the Black Mountain Montessori School.
The project has a total cost of about $100,000, with paybacks over the next 10 years, according to Josh Harold, city manager. If all goes well, 10 years from now, the city will use free energy, he said.
“We’ve had this on budget all year this year, and we haven’t started the project yet, but it’s due to start probably in the next couple of weeks,” Harold said.
For a 32 kW system, 79 units of solar panels will be needed.
The work will be performed by Renu Energy Solutions, a private contractor for the project. On its website, Renu advertises 74% of rooftops across North Carolina as ideal candidates for solar panels.
“Reno is excited about the partnership with Black Mountain Town,” said Matthew Cooley, Renault’s senior advisor. “This project demonstrates the city’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, and it makes financial sense.”
Cooley said Reno has worked on several projects with Buncombe County as well as the city of Charlotte.
Harold said the analysis of the solar panels began nearly two years ago at the Public Safety and Public Works Building and the Carver Center. He said the analysis looked at the cost, payoff, and scale of the system itself.
“The cost of public safety and public works was more expensive than Carver, so we ended up with Carver as pilot to see how that would work,” Harold said.
When the county began a similar analysis, Harold said Black Mountain had joined in to keep the funds as part of a “cooperative effort.”
Harold said the solar panels should be up and running by the end of the summer.
Adding solar panels to more city buildings is a viable option in the future, King said. King encouraged many other green energy projects in the city, and said prioritizing electric vehicles and reducing waste would benefit city employees as well as the community.
“Anything we can do to build the infrastructure around that and make these kinds of options more viable, I’ll support that,” she said. “It takes a variety of options to make it work for everyone.”
The Ezra Maille covers the town of Black Mountain, Montreat, and the Swannanoa Valley. You can reach him at 828-230-3324 or [email protected] Please support the local press with access to more breaking news by subscribing.