Residents of the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) have already started voting for the next mayor, some are voting for school board seat, and everyone is voting on 10 different bond measures. What you may not know is that Proposition 1 includes funding for solar panels on Anchorage buildings.
The improvements the Prop 1 bond would cover involve not just solar panels for municipal buildings, but building safety rehabilitation and upgrades, facility renovations, code improvement projects, pool filtration system, public restrooms, and related capital improvements. Here are five things to know related to the solar in Prop 1:
1. The “Solar Panel Energy Saving Improvements” part of the bond would allow the MOA to install 620 kW of solar on 16 MOA facilities. Including the costs for engineering, administration and financing, the municipality estimates the project will pay for itself and then provide an additional lifetime savings of nearly $550,000. Photo right of Egan Center rooftop solar from http://www.solsmart.org/solsmart300/
2. MOA property taxpayers would see an annual increase in taxes of approximately $1.59 for each $100,000 of assessed taxable property value.
3. The MOA has chosen the buildings that would receive solar panels based on the condition and age of roof, solar production potential, shading issues, and optimal electric cost reductions.
4. The MOA already has 243 solar panels generating electricity. In 2020, Fire Station 10 saw a 16% reduction in electricity costs compared to the previous year, producing more energy than was used on-site 18 days during the summer. In its first year, the Egan Center’s 76 kW solar project produced nearly 80 megawatt hours of electricity, avoiding 123,179 pounds of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of 6,287 gallons of gasoline.
5. Solar installations support jobs. According to an analysis performed by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Center for Economic Development:
- In 2019, solar installations supported 58 local jobs and an additional 24 jobs through multiplier effects across Alaska.
- In 2019, the solar industry directly supported an estimated $3.1 million in income and payroll in Alaska. Through multipliers, the industry also supported an additional $1,278,000 in payroll in other industries in Alaska.
- From 2018 to 2019, the net-metered solar capacity statewide increased 74%. A more recent report showed that on the Railbelt, even during the pandemic, there was a 52% increase in net metering (almost all from solar) from 2019 to the end of 2020.
REAP wanted to share these facts about solar and raise awareness of its spot on the Anchorage Municipal ballot. If you are a Muni resident, remember April 6th is the last day to vote!