The Ohio State Highway Patrol is adding solar panels to all of its cruisers in an effort to conserve fuel and battery life.
The 5-watt solar panels will be used to keep the officers' radios running while sitting stationary during patrol, said Sgt. Karla Taulbee.
Part of the duties of these officers is to sit at high-traffic intersections
but they have to keep their cruisers running so they can be in constant communication she said.
But keeping the engines running drains both the cruiser's battery and fuel supply.
According to an Ohio State Highway Patrol news release, the Highway Patrol conserved $1 million in fuel from fiscal year 2007 to 2008.
But with the addition of solar panels to the fleet of almost 1,200 Ford Crown Victoria cruisers, the Patrol hopes to save even more, Taulbee said.
We project that right now the solar panels should help extend the cruisers' battery life to three years
she said.
The solar panels cost about $37 each and should operate for five years, according to the news release.
Currently, about 10 percent of the fleet has had the solar panels installed on the rear deck of the cruisers, she said.
The Athens Highway Patrol Post has not added the panels, but Taulbee said the Highway Patrol plans to have all of the panels installed by the beginning of July.
So far, the installation has gone smoothly and no complaints have been reported, she said.
1
News
Jessica Neidhard
