Lawrence’s Prairie Park Nature Center soon will be paying more attention to nature’s ultimate star: The sun.

The nature center, 2730 Harper, has won a grant from Topeka-based Westar Energy to install solar panels on the roof. As part of the project, the center also will include a kiosk where visitors can see how the solar panels work, and how much energy they are producing at any given moment.

“Westar was looking for projects that would be highly visible and really interactive, and we think this will fit in perfectly,” said Eileen Horn, the city and county’s sustainability coordinator.

The Prairie Park project was one of 15 that Westar selected for funding. Under the terms of the program, Westar will pay the full cost for the solar panels and their installation, Horn said. The panels are expected to produce about 25 percent of the center’s electricity needs, resulting in an annual savings of about $1,300.

Most of the approximately 40 panels will be on the center’s roof, but one will be placed at ground level for visitors to better see. Horn said the project should be up and running sometime this fall.

Horn said the city hasn’t undertaken many solar projects for its buildings, in part because the city doesn’t qualify for many of the tax credits that have made the projects attractive for residential homeowners. But Horn said she hopes the Prairie Park project will give the city good data that will help determine whether solar is feasible in future city facilities.