A solar project in Perry is taking shape with the goal of reducing the city’s overall electrical use. 

City Administrator Sven Peterson says most of the steel, outside of a few areas around the City, has already been put up, along with other items.

“They did start putting up the actual solar panels on the public safety building and then they will be constructing the solar panels onto the various carports around as well. Definitely very exciting. I think now that those solar panels have finally shown up you’ll really start to see some action with the insulation of those and kind of start some of these canopies come together and really be able to see what they are going to look like.”

Peterson tells Raccoon Valley Radio the main goal for the project is saving money as the solar panels will produce a little more than 100-percent of the electricity for the facilities that they power. 

“Over the lifetime of these solar panels we are expected to save about $5 million . So, that’s really impactful when you start to think about what that can do for our departments.”

Peterson says some of those cost savings for the departments could be used to provide more services to the community.