The Boothbay town garage was outfitted with 165 solar panels on October 8. The public works depot off Country Club Road is the second of three municipal buildings going solar as part of the Boothbay Smartgrid Pilot Project.

In the next 10 years, the Boothbay Fire Department, Public Works Department and Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District will be capable of producing up to 125,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is estimated to offset Boothbay's current energy needs at its municipal buildings.

The solar panels are under warranty for 25 years and are expected to last 40 years with annual maintenance costs of $400 per year.

ReVision Energy, a Maine based company, installed the solar panels. The town of Boothbay signed a contract with ReVision Energy to service and maintain the panels for the next 10 years.

The solar panel will be producing power by October 23, and the final municipal installment will take place at the new recycling center in December.