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The new solar array installed by Exact Solar sits on the roof of the society's Vistors Center, a 1936 renovated barn, at the Honey Hollow Environmental Education Center at 2877 Creamery Road in New Hope.
It features 78 panels, with each generating 380 watts of electricity.
“We are very excited to be here and to celebrate this great accomplishment,” Executive Director Stacy Carr-Poole said via Zoom. “We decided when we were getting ready to celebrate our 50th anniversary that we wanted to do something big. We decided the best thing for the birds, the best thing for the environment and the best thing for the organization was to go solar.”
When the society launched its“Capture the Sun” campaign last fall, it brought in more than 250 monetary gifts in support of the project.
“We had a lot of community, foundation, and business support and we want to give a huge thank you to our board of directors, to our wonderful subcommittee who drove this forward, and to Exact Solar, our wonderful installers who were absolutely fabulous," Carr-Poole said.
Bob McGarry, Co-President of the Board of Directors, mentioned how the project "has been a priority for Bucks County Audubon for the past couple of years. It’s really exciting to see it come to fruition."
“It’s also inspiring that Honey Hollow, a National Historic Landmark recognized for its contributions to conservation in the early 20th Century, is now powered by solar energy and is still leading on conservation almost 100 years later. It’s truly inspiring to be a part of that," McGarry added.
"This project has allowed us to immediately begin conserving energy, conserving fossil fuels while also opening up new ways for us to educate the community on renewable energy and how it can ensure a brighter future for our environment," McGarry said.
Society officials are excited by the prospect of integrating the new array into their summer camps and programs and hope that the community feels inspired and finds ways to advocate for the environment and conserve energy and resources.
They are expecting to continue their renewable energy efforts by replacing an old fossil fuel-powered furnace with a new electrical one.
"Our advocacy committee is eager to find ways to continue to promote the use of renewable energy in this new year," McGarry said.
Solebury Township Supervisor John Francis, who has promoted the use of renewable energy for some time now, celebrated the society for its initiative to “demonstrate the will and the need to change our environment for the better."
“Climate change remediation is one of Solebury Township’s priorities,” he continued. “We have already passed the Ready for 100 resolution sponsored by the Sierra Club and we are working on completing our energy transition plan in the coming months. This will spell out how we plan to achieve the goals of the RF100 and migrate our community to 100 percent clean energy."
The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and some weekend hours.
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