The use of solar energy is part of the MTA's effort to become more environmentally friendly.

At a news conference held at Grand Central Station, Monday, The Metropolitan Transit Authority [1] announced its goal to use renewable energy sources to provide seven percent of the authority’s total electricity needs by 2015.

According to the New York Times [2], the announcement came after the Authority's own commission released its recommendations on how to make its operations more environmentally friendly. The first item on its agenda is to expand its use of solar energy by installing solar panels on about two dozen buildings, including bus depots, warehouses and a bus washing facility.

The panels would generate about one percent of the total electricity used by the MTA with much of the rest expected to consist of energy bought from outside suppliers, like producers of wind power.