U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installs solar panels at Dillon

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to establish more 'green' initiatives at its Dillon Lake Dam site.

In 2011, the corps became the first government entity in the Huntington District to install solar panels. The Huntington District includes parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

The panels, which cover the corps' administrative building and a storage building, cost $187,000, but they were paid for through stimulus money from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said Clif Kilpatrick, project manager.

So far, the panels are saving about $80 to $100 per utility bill, but that likely will increase in the future, Kilpatrick said. The corps' total utility bill could be up to $2,000 per month, but that includes more than just the buildings covered by the panels, he said.

Kilpatrick has been told the panels might pay for themselves in about 20 years, he said.

Other groups in the Huntington District are now looking into solar panels as well, but Kilpatrick is proud to have led the way.

"I wanted to push the green aspect," he said. "I saw other entities in the government going that route, and I said, 'I want to do that."

Source:http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20120522/NEWS01/205220309/U-S-Army-Corps-Engineers-installs-solar-panels-Dillon