The Columbia Museum of Art will be installing solar panels on its roof thanks to a federal renewable energy grant awarded by the S.C. Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office.

The grant to Columbia Museum of Art is one of nine renewable energy projects funded by the Energy Office that are part of $2.8 million awarded to non-profit organizations and government entities in South Carolina.

The Columbia Museum of Art was awarded $100,906 to install solar panels on the roof of its building which will reduce the amount of energy the museum has to purchase. The museum will launch an educational Web site, Facebook page and 24 hour live video feed illustrating the power output from the panels. 

“This project is a great example of using renewable energy to improve the environment and the economy,” said John Clark, director of the energy office.  “Patrons of the museum will be able to learn more about solar technology as they see it work first hand.”

Other South Carolina projects funded through this program are:

• $500,000 to Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) to install generators that create electricity from methane gas released from the break down of waste from the water waste treatment process
• $500,000 to Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. to install 70 solar water heating systems in homes of members of York, Berkeley, Santee and Pee Dee Electric Cooperatives.
• $500,000 to Claflin University to install the state’s first solar adsorption cooling system on its campus that uses solar power to create hot water and then cool water to provide a portion of its heating and cooling needs for the new Bio-Energy Park and Research Campus.
• $475,000 to Santee Cooper to install solar panels on the roof of its buildings in Myrtle Beach, creating the “Grand Strand Solar Station,” the largest solar system in the state.
• $340,000 to Furman University to install solar panels on the roof of the Physical Activities Center which will provide electricity to the campus.
• $240,000 to Plug In Carolina to create 28 electric vehicle charging stations in Union, Rock Hill and Myrtle Beach.
• $111,500 to the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Johns Island, S.C. to install 17 solar hot water systems on 15 housing structures and conference center.
• $49,594 to York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) to convert seven F-150 light duty trucks to utilize compressed natural gas.

The nine grants will save a total of $7.7 million in energy costs over the life of the projects. Applicants are contributing a total of $3.6 million in cost-share for the projects, or a match of $1.31 for every $1 invested by the grant.

In order to be considered for these grants, projects had to foster market penetration of clean energy technologies, provide sustained reduction of fossil fuel consumption and create permanent jobs in South Carolina. Organizations must implement the projects within two years of receiving the award.

These projects are funded through a grant from the Department of Energy under Award Number(s) DE-EE0000158.