WINGATE - State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven, chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, has announced more than $1.4 million in state grant funding to install solar energy systems at two schools in the Bald Eagle Area School District.
SEC BESD Solar One LLC, a division of Smart Energy Capital, will use the funds to purchase and install solar panels on the rooftops of Bald Eagle Middle/High School and Wingate Elementary School. The company will own the system and will sell power to the two schools under a long-term power purchase agreement at a fixed rate of 4.9 cents per kilowatt hour for 25 years. The solar panel system will provide more than 50 percent of the schools' electricity demands.
"I am pleased this state grant funding will be used to expand Centre County's alternative-energy capacity and help to reduce the burden on the power grid," Hanna said. "This in turn can help to hold down electric rates for businesses and residential customers."
The grant was approved through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
