Event Center goes solar: Panels on roof

Bank of the Cascades Center at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond has just gone solar.

The southeast corner of the event center roof has been outfitted with an array of solar panels that will generate approximately 84,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

The solar power generation will offset usage at the event center, and a savings of more than $6,000 during the first year is expected, officials said. That represents about 12 percent of the annual power usage at the event center.

Visitors to the event center will be able to view the system on a public kiosk or by going to the fairgrounds website.

Bend-based solar integrator E2 Solar was chosen to complete the work through an RFP (request for proposals) process. E2 Solar has been designing and installing renewable energy systems for homes, businesses, and other organizations throughout Oregon for ten years.

The project was funded by a grant from the Blue Sky Energy Program of Pacific Power and incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon. The Blue Sky Energy grant was nearly $123,000 and the Energy Trust incentive was $62,000.

Annually, Pacific Power teams up with Blue Sky customers to help support the installation of community-based, non-residential renewable energy projects in the company’s service area, furthering the growth of renewable energy in local communities.

Projects are identified and selected through an application review and evaluation process. Dollars available for awards are limited and awards can range from a few thousand dollars to more significant investments and may differ from the amount requested by the applicant. Awards are offered on a competitive basis.

Blue Sky community project funding comes from customers participating in the Blue Sky Block option and is available to help cover the capital costs of installing qualifying, new renewable energy systems within the Pacific Power service area.

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy and generating renewable energy. They provide a wide range of cash incentives and technical assistance for businesses and facilities within the service areas of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural Gas, and Cascade Natural Gas.