Galesburg will use the sun to run its water treatment plant. This month the state of Illinois announced it will help fund a 10 to 14 acre solar farm, using renewable energy credits.
Wayne Carl, Director of Planning and Public Works, says the city will work with a private company, Community Power Group, to build the solar facility in Oquawka where Galesburg has its water plant. He estimates solar power will save 1.7 million dollars over the course of 25 years, including 50,000 dollars in just the first year.
"The important thing for us is we're not having to put in upfront capital - there's no borrowing on the city's part. We don't have any maintenance or operating responsibilities with this. There's what we're doing for the environment by doing solar, but we're also able to save money as well."
The solar farm will generate 1.375 megawatts of electricity to power the water treatment plant.
Construction should start this summer and be completed by sometime in the fall.
