By DICK JONES
Special to the Gazette
STATE COLLEGE — The University Area Joint Authority’s solar energy project is expected to create at least $7 million in energy savings over a 30-year span. That’s what a group of 50 people, including municipal and county officials and members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, learned during a presentation and tour on Sept. 22.
Cory Miller, UAJA’s executive director, explained the finances, benefits, maintenance and administration of the solar energy effort, which is a public-private partnership between UAJA and New York-based Pace Energy LLC.Phase one of the solar array, currently in operation, features 7,600 solar panels in a field in College Township. Phase two, which will be even larger, is expected to be built later this year and in operation by early 2020, Miller said.