Washington County Food Bank: Solar energy array being installed at Centerville site
By Christine Haines
chaines@yourmvi.com
Nearly two years of planning are about to bear fruit for the Greater Washington County Food Bank as it prepares to put a solar energy array online later this month.
The 209 kW array, which covers approximately two acres at the 24-acre Centerville site, should handle nearly all the energy needs for the 29,000-square-foot facility, according to Morgan Livingston, agricultural innovation manager at the food bank.
“It is relatively large. It’s about 1 1/2 to 2 acres. It’s a significant area,” Livingston said. “We put it on a part of the property that’s a fairly steep slope, so it was an area we weren’t going to build or grow anything on. It’s south facing, so it was ideal.”
Livingston said nearly 100% of project’s costs have been covered by grants, including two from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund. In 2019, West Penn provided a comprehensive energy audit of the Centerville facility, which houses the GWCFB’s food bank, Healthy Habits Training Center, Country Thrift Market and The Farm.
The fund then provided $21,700 that covered most of the facility’s upgrades, including a higher efficiency heat pump water heater that will convert all of the food bank’s interior lighting to LED and the installation of a comprehensive electric surge suppression system to mitigate the impact of electrical spikes on GWCFB’s electrical equipment.
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