All new branches of Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library (THPL) are built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the United States Green Building Council, and the feasibility of solar panels is always investigated for new projects, but at the start of 2018 none of THPL’s branches incorporated solar power. With support from its local government, THPL assessed all 26 of its existing locations to determine which would be a good fit for retrofitted solar installations.

Based on a variety of factors, including roof age and type, shade impact and amount of usable roof space, seven branches were determined strong candidates for solar panels. Additionally, the design and location of the newly-built Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library (UCL) made it the perfect prototype to test this new feature and gain buy-in from the community. In addition to saving money and energy, the solar initiative is meant to spark fresh conversations on the value of renewable energy sources.

In late 2018 UCL received a 122-panel solar array that has saved over 100,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Visitors can view real-time energy output in the front lobby or on THPL’s sustainability page at HCPLC.org. Library programming educates residents on the impact of solar technology and ways to incorporate renewable energy and eco-friendly actions into their daily lives. The first solar retrofit is underway and eight THPL branches will have solar panels by mid-2020, saving $108,000 and 1 million kilowatt-hours annually.