OXFORD—In its efforts to keep energy costs in check and reduce its carbon footprint, the Oxford Memorial Library has gone green. Joining the ranks of trending environmentalists across central N.Y., the OML's emissions-free project is the product of more than two years of dedicated workmanship and is now complete and fully functional.

Some 66 solar panels make a dramatic display across the rear of the Library’s parking lot, enough panels to provide 60-75 percent of the Library’s electrical needs.

The solar project was major undertaking for the small library, situated within a 1811 Federal-style home originally built by Theodore Burr, listed on the National Historic Register.

With the twin-goals of lowering utility costs and becoming a community model for good environmental practices, financing for the project was primarily funded through three grants: a New York State Energy and Research Developmental Authority (NYSERDA) grant, New York State Library Construction grant, and an anonymous grant.

But even with the grant capital, there was still a debt that which will be repaid from annual energy cost savings, plus savings that accrue from a system called Monthly Net Metering. That being said, however, since the system went online on October 15, it has surpassed predictions for output and promises a dramatic decrease in utility costs for the library, which means that the pay-back time for financing the project could well be shorter than expected.