The City of Jefferson continues to actively pursue its goal of becoming what Mayor Dale Oppermann in 2020 called a “solar city” with the recent installation of high-tech, sun-absorbing panels on the roof of its fire and EMS facility.
The fire and EMS home base on East Racine Street is the new home of the panels as a result of some help from the community’s locally owned, not-for-profit utility, Jefferson Utilities. The latter is a municipally owned and operated electric and water utility serving more than 4,000 customers in Jefferson.
“The fire and EMS facility had a unique opportunity to take advantage of a renewable energy grant through Jefferson Utilities and WPPI Energy,” said Scott Adler, utility manager for Jefferson Utilities. “It’s an exciting project that will save taxpayers money in reduced energy costs, while also lowering our community’s carbon emissions. It’s a win-win for everyone.”