John Shalvey, president of Local 99 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, stands beside some of the roughly 200 solar panels that provide all the power needs of the union hall. The system cost $330,000 to install and shaves roughly $4,700 from the annual utility bill.

The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

CRANSTON The solar panels are everywhere.

They are stacked on the ground, in front of the union hall. They are on the roof — in two spots.

And they line the rear of the parking lot, out back: a big, black statement about organized labor going green.

“We wanted to show it off,” said John Shalvey, president of Local 99 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

And show it off they will.

Today, on Earth Day, the local will dedicate what is now the largest solar energy project in the state.

The 50-kilowatt array, on Amflex Drive, will make only a small dent in the state’s consumption of fossil fuels.

But union leaders say they hope to inspire businesses and homeowners to mount their own panels.

“We’re trying to jump-start a renewable energy epidemic,” said Allen P. Durand, business manager for the local.

The push is not entirely altruistic. A boost in solar and other clean energy projects would mean more jobs for electricians in a declining economy.

But union leaders are not the only ones promoting the financial benefits of a green-energy push.

Politicians and private enterprise have trotted out the dollars-and-cents argument to burnish a number of ambitious proposals around the state.

New York City-based Allco Renewable Energy is pushing for a giant solar energy farm in western Coventry that could power 7,200 households.

The company has also proposed a large wind farm, in state waters off Block Island, that would include 235 to 338 wind turbines.

And Oceanlinx, an Australian firm, is pressing for a pair of wave-energy facilities off the coasts of Point Judith and Block Island.

But with those projects still in the planning phases, Local 99 is enjoying its day in the sun.

Durand launched the union-hall effort after attending a solar-energy seminar at an IBEW conference in Washington, D.C., in 2003.

By late 2004, the local’s journeymen and apprentices were at work on the project, which served as a training ground for the sort of green-economy jobs organized labor and government are hoping to attract to the state.

And by the fall of 2007, the roughly 200 panels were producing power for the hall.

The local bought much of the equipment from the National Photovoltaic Construction Partnership, a Yonkers, N.Y. company that has partnered with IBEW on a national scale.

Lee Smith, managing director of the firm, said his work with the electrical workers has spawned about 25 union-hall projects nationwide.

The company has also provided equipment and expertise for installations at about 500 electricians’ homes around the country.

“The labor unions have been stepping up to the plate in renewable energy in ways that surprise people,” said Smith, noting that most people expect solar panels to be the preserve of Sierra Club types.

But whether organized labor’s example inspires imitation is an open question.

Local 99’s project was an expensive enterprise –– soaking up about $80,000 in union funds and $250,000 in state grants.

And the savings have been modest, in comparison: Durand said the local has shaved about $4,700 off its $20,000-per-year electric bill.

Union officials say the costs for the average homeowner are far more manageable.

Rhode Island residents can tap has much as $2,000 in federal and $3,750 in state tax credits for solar energy projects at their homes, leaving about $5,000 to $8,000 in out-of-pocket costs.

But direct grants from the state, for residential and commercial projects, have declined in recent years as the state has shifted subsidies to wind and wave projects in a bid to spur new sectors of the clean-energy economy.

And union officials say the state will have to rededicate itself to solar power if it is to flourish.

Today, with a collection of politicians and environmentalists in attendance for the dedication –– taking in that giant array of panels on Amflex Drive –– the local will press its case.

dscharfe@projo.com