Chatham County, NC
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Solarize the Triangle
Solarize the Triangle is a unique campaign which allows residents and businesses to save on the cost of a system through combined purchasing with others in the Triangle. Chatham County joined 10 communities as the Triangle Sustainability Partnership to launch the regionwide community-based group-buying program on August 10, 2022. The second phase of the campaign began in summer of 2023 and was open to new enrollments through September 30, 2023.
The Solarize the Triangle campaign was one of the most successful Solarize efforts ever in the United States! Between the two campaigns in 2022 and 2023, over 3,000 kilowatts of new rooftop solar capacity was added to the grid. This new solar is estimated to avoid the equivalent of about 5.5 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually! The campaign was recognized by the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster with the Local Government Impact Award in 2023.
The initiative was designed to serve residents, businesses, and nonprofits, allowing them to become more resilient, reduce energy expenses, and save on the cost of renewable-energy systems by obtaining volume discounts on materials and installation services. Even though the Solarize the Triangle campaign has concluded, there are still significant savings for new renewable energy projects available through federal tax credits. Visit the Internal Revenue Service website information page, “Clean Vehicle and Energy Credits,” or talk to your tax professional to find out which projects may be eligible.
SolSmart Gold
Chatham County is open for solar business! Chatham County has received a designation as a SolSmart Gold community. The SolSmart program recognizes local governments that are friendly to solar development and have made focused efforts to simplify the process of installing solar panels.
The Gold level designation is the highest the program offers. Both participating in the Solarize the Triangle program and achieving the SolSmart Gold designation contribute to Chatham County’s Comprehensive Plan goal of becoming a carbon neutral county by reducing the amount of energy generated using fossil fuels.
Sustainable Facilities Policy
In 2017, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted a Sustainable Facilities Policy for the design of new buildings and major renovations to existing buildings. All new buildings are to be designated to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating.
Rooftop Solar
Chatham has some exciting new developments in rooftop solar! The Environmental Quality building, home of the Solid Waste & Recycling and Sustainability divisions, received a rooftop makeover in 2022. A 25-kilowatt solar system was installed in June and began producing electricity in July of 2022. In 2023, a 154 kilowatt solar system was installed on the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center. The system has been producing clean solar energy since early May. See the links below for production data from both systems.
Environmental Quality Building Solar Energy Production Data
In 2023, the system produced 36,160 kilowatt-hours of electricity, or more than 71% of the building’s typical power usage. To see the most recent production data, visit the solar system's public information website.
Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center Solar Data
The Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center solar system should reduce the electric bill for the building by over $12,000 annually. The system began operating in May of 2023 and produced over 132,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity from May to December of that year. To see up-to-date kilowatt-hour production data for the system, visit the system's public website.
In addition, the newly built Chatham County Schools administrative building was designed with a rooftop solar power system. Construction on the building was completed in May 2023.