BayCoast Bank, formerly Citizens~Union Savings Bank, is installing a Solar Flexrack Carport over the parking lot at its Swansea Mall Drive location. The solar energy system is expected to greatly reduce the bank’s carbon footprint, supplying 30 percent of the building’s total electricity usage.

"A long-time supporter of green technology, we’re excited to be one of the first in our area to install a solar carport," BayCoast Bank president and CEO Nicholas Christ said in a statement.

Over the past few years, BayCoast has installed solar panels on the roofs of several branch locations, but the carport is its largest venture into renewable energy.

Designed by Southcoast Greenlight Energy of Swansea, the carport makes use of the bank’s pre-existing parking lot. The system consists of two structures each supporting 320 solar panels. No trees were removed during the construction phase of the project, which is now nearly complete. The panels are expected to be operational by the end of November, when they will begin to supply electricity to the branch.