They're roughly two-and-a-half feet by four-feet long and made in America.
Thousands of solar panels will soon be going up onto New Bedford roof tops.
"We've cased out about half a dozen municipal buildings, some school buildings, as well as some garages, as well as buildings that we believe have appropriate roofs," said New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang.
It's one of the first programs of its kind, private industry with Boston-based Blue Wave Capital and New York's Con Edison Solutions teaming up with a city to cut its energy costs by 25 percent.
"This is a refutation of people who say, 'Oh this alternative energy, this sustainable energy that's somehow a dream'. No it's a very real thing in a very real city," said U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.
The plan is to eventually produce up to 10 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to save New Bedford $10 million over 20 years.
The private partners are footing the start up costs.
"The cost to the city is quite frankly the locations," Lang said. "We contribute locations; they contribute the materials and the money to get it done."
Con Edison Solutions CEO Jorge Lopez said the company put up about $2 million for the project.
Since many of the panels will be in schools, Lang called the program a teachable moment for city kids.
"We love setting an example. We love having the kids in the middle of it. There's no way they're going to walk into their school and not see the meters indicating that the sun is powering the lights in their classroom said," Lang said.
Once the solar panels are up, Con Edison Solutions and the city will have a long-term power purchase agreement.
Construction has already started and part of the project will be completed this year. All the installations are expected to be producing power by 2013.
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