Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
The 1.2 megawatt solar panel installation at the Office of the Adjutant General off Fairview Drive is beginning to take shape.
Large arrays of solar panels now tower over portions of the parking lot like an energy efficient shade for cars.
Chief Warrant Officer III Tom McElroy, the project manager, said the solar panels are expected to be completed by August.
Once they're up and running, the solar panels will be able to completely power the facility in prime conditions when skies are clear and the temperature in the 70s. The facility also will feed unused energy back into the power grid.
Over the next 20 years, the energy savings are expected to be in the millions, McElroy said.
The project is being funded and constructed by the private firm Sierra Solar, which will sell the power back to the National Guard at a fixed rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour for the next 20 years.
McElroy said the project is estimated to cost about $18 million.