Westmoreland housing authority plots path to solar power

The Westmoreland County Housing Authority wants more power.

Officials on Tuesday said a proposed solar farm built on property behind the authority-owned Hempfield Towers could benefit the low-income senior high-rise apartment building and nearby county facilities such as the jail, juvenile detention center and nursing home.

“We’re looking for funding and for support from the county commissioners,” Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said.

No cost estimates or construction details have been finalized. Officials said the project would likely rely on federal grants to pay for construction and require use of about four to five acres of land owned by Westmoreland County.

Erik Spiegel, the authority’s director of architecture and engineering services, said the pitch calls for the authority to lease or purchase land from the county and to install thousands of solar panels that would generate energy used at Hempfield Towers and to the other facilities on the county’s South Grande Boulevard campus in Hempfield.

The authority has in recent years implemented the use of solar power. Solar panels were installed on the roof of South Greengate Commons and its sister building Odin View Apartments in Hempfield that were opened several years ago.

Spiegel said solar energy powers common areas and exterior lighting at those facilities. Excess power generated at the facilities is sold back to the local power company and credited to the authority’s account. Solar panels are also being installed on the roof of the authority’s 50-unit Grand View Senior Residences under construction and scheduled to open in late May in North Huntingdon.

Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew said proposals for a solar farm near the jail had been long considered by previous county leaders but never acted upon because of concerns over technology requirements and costs.

“I certainly think we should consider this now that there are plentiful grants available to pay for the project,” Chew said.

Westmoreland County has a history of generating power.

In the 1990s the county operated a waste-to-energy plant that converted trash into steam to help power the jail, Westmoreland Manor and juvenile detention center. The plant operated for about a decade before it was shuttered in 1998 after years of financial losses.

Meanwhile, use of solar farms has been growing in Westmoreland County.

A 10-acre solar farm became operational in 2021 to power the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s sewer plant in Hempfield. It operates with nearly 11,000 solar panels and produces about 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year.

More than 3,200 panels were also installed in 2021 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass in Hempfield to help power maintenance buildings.