Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC) and Smyrna officials on Tuesday celebrated the completion of a community solar project on 14 acres of town property

"We are so pleased to offer the residents and businesses of the Town of Smyrna the opportunity to use clean, economic, environmentally-friendly energy," said Gary Stulir, Smyrna town manager and DEMEC board director. "Through our partnership with DEMEC, the Town is able to benefit from a project that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive on our own."

The Smyrna Solar Facility is expected to deliver 1.5 megawatts of electric energy to residents and businesses. The facility could power an average of 158 homes for a year, according to DEMEC.

DEMEC partnered with American Municipal Power, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, and town officials to develop the facility. The project will bring the company's total solar generation to 26 megawatts, or 50 percent of the total solar generation in Delaware.

"We are pleased to offer solar generation that is both beneficial and economical to our members' customers,"  said Patrick McCullar, DEMEC president and CEO. "Thanks to the partnership of AMP, NextEra Energy Resources, and the Town of Smyrna, we are able to provide solar energy that is on par with the price of fossil fuels."