Quechee Library Gets Solar Grant

By Gareth Henderson
Standard Staff
QUECHEE – The Quechee Public Library has received a grant to put up between 12 and 24 solar panels on its roof. Library officials say the project will happen sometime in 2011.
The SunUp Foundation, which has worked with the library in the past, awarded the $30,000 for the solar array and some roof work this fall. The Quechee Library plans to have groSolar install the project. The solar panels will not only save on electricity costs, but will also give the opportunity for new programs at the library about alternative energy.
According to Quechee Library President Dave Izzo, the SunUp Foundation will cover the full cost of the solar installation. However, the library might have to use some of its capital reserves to replace a portion of the roof – a necessary step for the project. The roof work is already underway, and some of the grant is meant for that purpose also. Furthermore, Izzo said the roof would have had to be replaced soon anyway, since it is about 20 years old. The final number of solar panels will depend on which state rebates the library can get for the project, Izzo added. The library board of trustees expects to receive that information in January.
“groSolar has already shown us a couple of designs they have ready for us, and they’d be ready to go as soon as we know [about the rebates],” Izzo said.
Librarian Kate Schaal added, “The cost of the roofing project to be paid for beyond the grant won’t be known for a few weeks.”
Izzo said the trustees were impressed with the illustrations of the panels, and the process has been going smoothly. Once the panels are installed, the system will be monitored on the Internet. Through the library’s website, patrons will be able to track how much energy the library is saving. Also, groSolar has offered to do some library programs about solar energy.
At the same time, groSolar is offering a special January incentive for the library. Any homeowner installing solar on their property can earn $1,000 for the Quechee Library by citing the library as a referral. That incentive drops to $250 after Jan. 31.
If the trends in the solar industry are any indication, that incentive could be a major boon for the library. In 2010, tax incentives from the federal stimulus package have contributed to more solar panels going up across the nation. In October, groSolar installed major solar projects in New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina.
The SunUp Foundation gave a donation to the library a couple of years ago, according to Izzo. A statement on the Quechee Library’s website says the SunUp Foundation has been continuing its general support of libraries across the region.