City Council Still Considering Solar Array For Sewer Plant

If a solar energy system is installed at Mt. Carmel’s sewer plant, it won’t be done by a Pennsylvania company. Last year, the city council approved a contract showing intent to move forward with Keystone Energy to place a solar array on the southern portion of the city property at the wastewater treatment plant. Keystone proposed to build and own the system and take advantage of state and federal credits. But city attorney Derek McCullough told the council that if those government credits go away, the city would be responsible for making up the difference. Brad Morton of Morton Solar and Electric has submitted an alternative proposal in which the city pays for the construction of the project and owns the system. That means the city would be able to use the state and federal credits. He told the council Monday that construction would take 9 to 12 months to complete. The council took the information under advisement and tabled making a decision.