Money might not grow on trees, but Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon is looking to see if tapping into free energy from the sun might have a similar result.

Corroon has chosen GSBS Architects to conduct a six-month feasibility study on how much money Salt Lake County would save by installing solar panels on key county buildings, the mayor announced Thursday. The study will also examine how much it would cost to convert the buildings to a solar energy system and how long it would take to start seeing a potential payback on the investment.

"Our county goal for our facilities is a 20 percent reduction in energy usage combined with an increase in the use of renewable energies," Corroon said. "We want to do more, and we believe we can do more in Salt Lake County ... to identify strategies that will provide us with a road map to reducing our energy usage in this county."

The $100,000 study will initially look at 28 of the county's more than 100 facilities and see how those buildings could be converted to rely on solar energy for power generation, water heating and power storage. The buildings — including the county government building, recreation facilities, libraries and senior centers — represent a range of the kinds of buildings the county maintains, Corroon said.

Relying more on solar power would effectively reduce the county's carbon footprint, said GSBS architect David Brems, who will head the feasibility study for the county.

"We can talk about global warming and climate change and pollution, but it all comes back to us as a local community and finding local solutions to those problems one building at a time," Brems said.

The money for the study was approved in the county's 2007 budget, but Corroon has emphasized a continued concern for the environment in this year's budget. The mayor wants to use biodiesel in the county's diesel fleet and implement more solar panels across the county.

"While cost is always a factor, we believe our governmental decisions also need to incorporate our environment and do what we believe is the right thing to do and start setting an example in the county," Corroon said of the potential cost of converting more of the county's buildings to solar energy.

The mayor is also speaking out in support of a pending legislative movement toward increasing the level of wattage that is legally allowed to be produced from solar panels. A bill is expected to be filed by the end of the week that would increase the cap on power created by solar arrays, wind turbines, fuel cells or hydropower from 25 kilowatts to 2 megawatts.

The county currently powers a Salt Palace parking structure solely from solar panels, but an increase in the allowable power created from solar panels would allow the county, and other businesses, to create bigger solar projects.

The big question the county has now is just how much green it will take to make the county's buildings more green.

"We're just trying to get enough information so we can share this with other mayors as well, and say, 'This is the way you can do this, if you want to come with us on this journey,"' said Ann Ober, Salt Lake County environmental policy coordinator. "The next step is figuring out whether or not we can even afford it."

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