(File Photo of the Borough of Ambridge Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Ambridge, PA) State Representative Rob Matzie and other community leaders joined Ambridge Borough yesterday to flip the switch on their new rooftop solar system at the Ambridge Municipal Complex, which was facilitated through the Rural Innovation through Solar Empowerment (RISE) project in partnership between nonprofits RiverWise, The PA Solar Center, and New Sun Rising to accelerate solar adoption in communities throughout Beaver County.

The RISE Project started as a two-year initiative that was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize.

EIS Solar installed the 130.9-kilowatt solar system for Ambridge, which was paid for in part by an Environmental Mitigation Community Fund grant.

Ambridge Borough was also able to leverage a federal renewable energy tax credit of 40 percent for the project.

The solar panels will offset approximately 100 percent of the combined annual energy consumption of Ambridge Borough facilities located at 600 11th Street and 533 Merchant Street.

EIS Solar estimates that the solar array will save taxpayers in Ambridge about $509,000 over the next 25 years.