In an effort to bring more green energy to the city, folks at the Columbia Water and Light Department are looking up.

The department tomorrow officially launches its Solar One program, which aims to encourage individuals and corporations to help fund solar projects that would feed renewable energy into the city's power grid.

To kick off the program, the city utility is inviting the public to an event at 10 a.m. tomorrow behind the West Ash Street pump station, at Bernadette Drive and Tiger Lane, where representatives from Dow Chemical Co., Missouri Solar Applications, Quaker Oats and the Solar Electric Power Association will speak.

"The cost of the solar panels make it more expensive than other fossil fuel-based sources or other renewable" energy sources, said Connie Kacprowicz, Columbia Water and Light spokeswoman. The city already can "produce electricity from methane gas as waste decomposes. We want to help develop" solar "technology, and hopefully the cost will go down over the years."

Water and Light customers can sign up for the program on the city's Web site at gocolumbiamo.com/ WaterandLight. The department will contact customers on a first-come, first-served basis as solar energy is available for purchase.

Customers can purchase solar energy blocks of 100 kilowatt-hours for $48 annually, or $4 per month, Kacprowicz said, and consumers can buy as many as 10 blocks.

The waiting list was opened last week, with 70 blocks of power available. "It's interesting to see how fast people have responded," Kacprowicz said. "When I sent out the e-mail that said slots were available, I had sold 12 blocks of energy within a half-hour."

There are still blocks of solar energy available, and Kacprowicz said with the help of corporate partners, a total of 140 blocks would be available this year.

Dow Chemical helped pay for installation of solar panels on the ground at the West Ash Street pump station, on Bernadette Drive near Ash Street, and Quaker Oats has installed panels on its facility in northeast Columbia.

Raymond Magruder, health, safety and environmental manager of the Quaker plant, said the company purchased and installed solar panels, though their cost was offset by federal tax credits. He said the 28 panels would produce about 6,760 kilowatt-hours per year, which could assist in the energy needs of 67 homes, Magruder said.

"Now we are five to seven days out. The panels are in, and we're waiting for electricians to wire it," he said. "They will run them to the inverter, and we'll be on the grid by end of next week at the latest."

Kacprowicz said the city has entered into a power purchase agreement with Quaker. Power generated from the solar panel system will be fed into the city's distribution grid at a cost of 41 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Typical customer rates per kilowatt-hour are between 8 and 11 cents, Kacprowicz said, and the cost of solar energy will be balanced by Solar One participants.

"I think it's a great for people who are interested in solar energy but can't spend money on their own solar system," Kacprowicz said of the energy block program.

For people interested in installing solar panels, the city also offers rebates and the opportunity to sell unused solar energy back to the city.

According to the Solar One Web site, the city's goal is to have renewable energy account for 2 percent of the electric supply in 2008 and grow that to 15 percent by 2023. The Water and Light Department projects 5 percent of the electric supply will come from wind power and biogas projects in 2008.

Reach Sara Semelka at (573) 815-1717 or ssemelka@tribmail.com.

Originally published by SARA SEMELKA of the Tribune's staff.

(c) 2008 Columbia Daily Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.