The Kentucky National Guard announced that solar panels installed on the administration building and two barracks will supplement electric usage and save operating capital.

The solar panels were paid for with $550,000 from President Obama’s stimulus funds. Solar power will not only defray electrical expenses, but will send energy back into the electrical grid. In essence, the KNG will become energy suppliers to the grid.

There are 400 solar panels installed at locations around the base. That makes the Wendell H. Ford Training Center in Muhlenberg County one of the largest solar installations in Kentucky (if not the largest).

What remains to be done is hooking up the solar panels to the base electrical grid. Lt. Col. William Lee McDaniels of the Kentucky National Guard predicts a saving of $40,000 to $50,000 yearly for the Guard when the site is fully on line.