More traffic lights in the county will go solar by the end of next year, said Simmons, who serves as liaison to the county Department of Public Works.
The conversions will be financed by a $298,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant. Locations will be chosen based on access to sunlight, rendering undesirable lights shaded by trees, buildings or even power lines, Simmons said.
Municipalities pay the energy costs for their traffic signals no matter whether they are on federal, state, county, or municipal roads, according to state regulations. Mantua expects to save from $450 to $550 a year for each traffic light it converts, Simmons said.
"But it is not only that: It is that state rules are making municipalities have more green energy," she said, noting that municipalities will be required to get 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2013.
County Engineer Vincent Voltaggio said he believed the signal might be the first in the country to use solar panels.
"I found one in Nebraska that uses a wind generator, but maybe Gloucester County will be the hub of solar-powered traffic signals," Voltaggio said. "Whatever we can do to hold down carbon emissions and energy costs, we are all for it."
