The Benton County Historical Society’s Johnson Collections Center in Philomath will be the site of a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to celebrate the installation of solar panels and organizers have invited the public to attend.
The Peter and Rosalie Johnson Collections Center is located next door to Philomath Museum (1063 Main St.).
The solar project is a collaboration of Benton County Historical Society, the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Oregon Clean Power Cooperative.
Funding from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program participants, Energy Trust of Oregon, and community investors and donors, contributed to the cost of installing solar panels on the roof of the 13,500-square-foot facility, which stores artifacts when not on display at the museum.
The energy produced by the panels is now providing most of the electricity needed for both buildings.
“We are thrilled to continue our efforts to make all our buildings more environmentally friendly, following the LEED Silver certification of the Corvallis Museum,” Jessica Hougen, Benton County Historical Society executive director, said through a press release. “This event marks a significant step toward BCHS’s goal of enhancing our sustainability and reducing our environmental footprint.”
The collections center is a climate-controlled repository for various historical artifacts and also provides space where staff and volunteers can process items owned or loaned to the museum. The center, a $2.2 million project, was the destination of the Horner Collection acquired from Oregon State University in 2008.
“Pacific Power’s Blue Sky participants are leading the way to a brighter future by helping accelerate the transition to clean, renewable energy and funding local community-based renewable energy projects,” said Berit Kling, senior product manager at Pacific Power. “Thank you to Blue Sky Block participants for partly funding the installation of solar panels at the Philomath Museum. The award of $61,600 helped fund the solar project expected to generate 129,800 kilowatt hours annually, which will significantly reduce their carbon footprint and help them save on energy costs.”