Convention Center roof could produce power

The Wilmington Convention Center could go green. Solar panels may cover the roof to turn sunlight into electricity.

A Raleigh-based company called Advanced Green Technologies wants to line the roof with a thin, silicon material, hoping Progress Energy will cover the cost.

A bill passed the state Senate last year that would require power companies to get a small percent of their power from solar panels. This plan could help Progress Energy do that.

Convention Center project manager Steve Bridges says there’s a good chance the proposal will become reality.

“It’s just the right thing to do from an environmental point of view,” Bridges said. “The thing is to install it on our facility, the proposal is to install it at no cost to the City of Wilmington.”

The panels would do little to affect the overall appearance of the new convention center. Bridges says a passer-by would not even see them.

City council still needs to approve the proposal.