There are new details on a proposal for solar panels that could be coming to a Centre County prison.

 The Centre County Commissioners opened four proposals to get the project bid.

All four were from Pennsylvania companies, including: Solar Renewable Energy from Mechanicsburg, Sun-Directed, from State College, RER Energy Group from Reading, and Rettew Associates from Lancaster.

We spoke with the chair of the commissioners to hear what they’ll be looking for in the proposals.

“The big thing is the savings. We want to make sure that this project makes sense,” said Michael Pipe, Chairman, Centre County Commissioners. “That we can get a payback on our investment into it, and also make sure that it makes sense from a tax payer standpoint. We think once we review the four bids that have come in, that we can get to a good number.”

The goal is for the solar panels to provide enough power, about 1.7 megawatts to power the prison. In three weeks the commissioners will look at the proposals and hear recommendations from county staff and hope to make a decision to move forward.