DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The solar canopies in the Decatur Civic Center’s parking lot are complete and now in operation.

The city hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to unveil the new solar infrastructure. Six canopies were constructed, comprising more than 2,600 solar panels that city officials said will supply up to 95% of the Civic Center’s electric needs over the next 15 years.

“We are always looking for ways to cut costs, and this project was a no-brainer,” Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said in a news release. “It produces clean energy, saves taxpayers significant money, and the city was responsible for none of the construction or ongoing maintenance costs; that is the definition of a win-win for our community.”

The project cost $5 million, completely paid for by the contractor who built the canopies. City officials added that the contractor will own and maintain the system and accept responsibility for any damage to panels or issues with the system.

The city plans to purchase power from this system at a fixed kilowatt per hour cost for 15 years, which could save taxpayers $120,000 annually. Another benefit is shaded and partially covered parking for Civic Center visitors.

In addition to the solar canopies at the Civic Center, the city is planning three other solar projects:

• One would cover most of the Decatur Public Library’s roof with panels and build four canopies in the library parking lot
• Another would build ground-mounted panels at the William Street Pump Station
• The last would build another canopy in the Civic Center parking lot to provide power to the nearby Senator Severns Transit Center. At this point, that project is in the study phase.

These projects could add another 2,100 panels to the city’s solar infrastructure, save taxpayers more than $118,000 annually, and they would again be paid for and owned by the contractor.