Oliver museum thrilled with donated solar panels that will be a gift that keeps on giving

Photo: Contributed

The Oliver and District Museum heritage building has gotten a 21st century upgrade thanks to generous local donors. 

Built in 1924 as the town's first police station, the building is now partially powered by a pole-mounted solar panel array. 

The solar array was installed in the Museum’s Heritage Garden on Nov. 12 by Swiss Solar Tech, and was completely funded by donations. 

In 2019, the Oliver and District Heritage Society noticed that solar panels installed on the archives building helped greatly with utility bills. The non-profit wanted a similar solution at the museum, but the cost was prohibitive. 

But this year, local benefactors stepped up and raised the $11,000 necessary for the solar panel. Since the rooftop of the museum is unsuitable for panel installation, the pole-mount model was chosen instead. 

The panels catch sunlight both from above and reflected from below off the ground. 

ODHS president Vance Potter described the panels as a “a very nice early Christmas present,” a bright spot in a year of difficulty with reduced revenue during the pandemic.

And it's a gift that will keep on giving.
 
“The panels will offset our costs for the next 25 years, allowing us to put more of our funds towards exhibits and collections,” executive director Julianna Weisgarber said. “We couldn’t be more grateful.”