County says solar pilot saved about $2.09 million; expands rooftop installations and EV chargers

Chatham County staff updated the commission on a solar procurement pilot that placed panels on county rooftops through a power-purchase/solar energy procurement agreement with Cherry Street Energy.

Presenter Jackie Jackson told commissioners the pilot began with four buildings (Citizen Service Center, juvenile court facility, aquatic center and the sheriff's complex) and that completed installations and additional rooftop systems now cover 12 county sites. She summarized savings "a little bit over $2,088,000 dollars in savings, almost $209,000 in savings within those 4 facilities" for a specified January 2025–July 2026 period, and provided facility-level figures including roughly $18,000 at the Citizen Service Center, about $17,000 at the aquatic center and about $164,000 from portions of the Sheriff's Complex. Staff also said the county plans to install public-facing electric-vehicle charging at selected sites and to prioritize future rooftops by electricity loading analysis.

Commissioners praised the program and staff noted not every building is a viable candidate because of site constraints and transformer upgrades; staff said they will continue evaluating county properties for solar opportunities and coordinate EV infrastructure installation when trenching and conduit work is done.