Cambria County Prison considering solar power
Dec. 14—EBENSBURG, Pa. — A solar-powered Cambria County prison could reduce the facility's electricity bills by 30% or about $10,000 per month, Cambria County Prison Warden Christian Smith said.
Smith included information from a preliminary solar energy consultation in his report to the Cambria County Prison Board on Wednesday.
Smith relayed information from representatives of Tremco — the company that recently renovated the prison roof — and the BAI Group, a civil engineering and environmental consultant group.
The companies have partnered on similar projects in the past, Smith said.
The proposed solar array would be erected on the prison roof. Additional panels on a hillside near the prison property would increase the savings beyond 30%, Smith said.
The project would involve no initial cost to the county, Smith said. However, the county would have to agree to a specified time period to purchase the solar power.
"If the project seems promising, we will forward the information to the county commissioners' office to review," Smith said. "If and when a decision is made to move forward with RFPs (requests for proposals), we would suggest an engineering study of the roof be completed first to ensure it can bear the extra weight."
Solar panels would be secured to the roof by weighted ballasts with no penetration to the new roof, Smith said.
If the commissioners decide to move forward with the proposed solar energy plan, Smith said it would take a year for materials for the project to arrive and another year before the solar panels would be installed and operational.
