Thanks to generous local donors, the Oliver Museum has a new addition: a pole-mounted solar panel array to help provide electricity in the Museum and the Fairview Jail.
The solar array was installed in the Museum’s Heritage Garden on Nov. 12th by Swiss Solar Tech Ltd., and has been entirely funded by generous private donors.
This makes the Museum the second of our buildings to now run partially on solar power. You may remember that in 2019, solar panels on the Oliver Archives helped offset utility costs. The Heritage Society was searching for a similar solution at the Museum, but installation costs had put the project on hold until local benefactors came through. This year $11,000 was raised for the initiative.
The pole-mounted system was chosen because none of the roofs at the Museum site were suitable, and to protect the integrity of the heritage building. The panels are bi-facial, meaning they catch and utilize sunshine both from above and from below as it reflects off the ground. Currently, plans are to add an interpretive panel to the pole to incorporate it seamlessly into the Museum's outdoor displays.
ODHS president Vance Potter described the panels as being “a very nice early Christmas present,” a bright spot in a year marked by reduced visitation and revenues for museums. And that present will keep on giving.
The panels will offset our costs for the next 25 years, allowing us to put more of our funds towards exhibits and collections. And we couldn’t be more grateful.