The Ogdensburg, New York Richard G. Lockwood Civic Center has reportedly added 236 solar panels on its roof that could ultimately reduce costs and make the facility more energy efficient.

The Watertown Daily Times reports that city public works director Kit W. Smith believes the new solar system will begin to generate electricity sometime this week before eventually reaching the maximum level of 50 kilowatts.

In addition, Smith predicted that in a year, the city could see energy savings of more than 25 percent for the facility's utility costs. Such a reduction would be particularly critical for the city as utility costs are currently about $60,000 per year, according to the news source.

While many of the facility's major events take place during the winter months, Smith said that the city could ultimately sell some of the power generated during the summer to National Grid.

"The more that we can get from the sun, the better," Smith explained.

According to its website, the civic center, which hosts ice skating events, opened in January 2001.