HONESDALE, PA — The Clean Energy Cooperative, Inc. (CEC) on April 18 announced plans for two solar installation projects in Wayne County for this year. CEC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Wayne County commissioners for CEC to fund, design, build, own and maintain a solar array for the roof of the Stourbridge Project building on Park Street in Honesdale.

It is expected that the solar installation will cost $65,000 and will generate enough electricity to provide 60% of the building’s needs. Wayne County will pay for electricity generated by the array at a fixed price for the next 25 years under a power-purchase agreement, the terms of which remain to be negotiated.

 Susan Shaffer, director of the Stourbridge Project, said, “This is an exciting partnership that embodies technology and community, and utilizing renewable energy is an investment in the future. This aligns with the mission of the Stourbridge Project, and having a display to explain and monitor the solar array will be engaging for those who visit or work at our innovation center.”

The other project CEC announced for 2019 will be installed at the Von Oechsler Farm LLC in Damascus. George Oechsler, the farm’s owner, has applied for a United States Department of Agriculture Renewable Energy for America Program grant. If awarded, the CEC will install a ground-mounted solar array. Oechsler explained why he wants the array: “In a nutshell, we must end our addiction to fossil fuels and other energy sources that damage Mother Earth irrevocably.”

For more information about the Stourbridge Project, visit www.stourbridgeproject.com. For more information about the Clean Energy Co-op, visit www.cleanenergy.coop.