Members of the Schuylkill County Airport Authority believe installing a solar facility at the airport will allow the airport to be economically self-sufficient.

Authority officials made a presentation to the Schuylkill County commissioners this week that showed how they could take advantage of tax credits from the solar facility to have the airport stand on its own financially.

In order to seal the deal, the commissioners will consider next week whether to guarantee replenishment of the debt service reserve fund of approximately $530,000.

An $8.5 million, 3-megawatt solar facility has been proposed for the Schuylkill County Regional/Joe Zerby Airport. In its first year, the solar facility is expected to produce 4,670,000 kilowatts of power.

The county currently subsidizes the airport between $110,000 and $210,000 per year. In addition, the county has guaranteed $453,799 in bonds used to expand the airport’s runway and build an airplane hangar.

After the project is completed, the solar project would bring in $2,687,000 in tax credits. All but $1 million of that amount would be set aside in reserve and invested to generate additional positive cash flow.

Solar cash flow projections will allow for the authority, and the airport, to be financially self-sustaining by 2027.

The airport is important, authority members say, as a means of ingress and egress via aircraft for business travelers and recreational fliers.

The airport is also used as a site for training operations by the Air National Guard based at Fort Indiantown Gap. It is also a base for refueling medical helicopters for Geisinger and the Lehigh Valley Health Network.