Solar-powered building coming to Bend’s Central District

Solar company's 'net zero' headquarters will have solar panels, EV charging stations

BEND, Ore. A Bend solar energy company has broken ground on a "net zero" energy-efficient, solar-powered headquarters in the city's Central District.

Sunlight Solar Energy will be relocating to a 14,000-square-foot, two-story building on Northeast Hawthorne Street, across from the BottleDrop Redemption Center.

The company specializes in solar power, electric vehicle charging and battery backup design and installation. The new building is expected to have more than 30,000 watts of solar panels, which will produce all of its electricity.

Sunlight Solar expects to complete the building by the end of summer. The company plans to occupy about half of the building and lease out the rest. The site will include several electric vehicle charging spaces.

NewsChannel 21 spoke Thursday with the company's president, Paul Israel, who said they chose the Central District because of the city's future plans for area. Transportation improvements in the district are part of the $180 million bond measure councilors agreed Wednesday evening to send to voters in May.

"The bond that we're all going to be voting on in May would have a pedestrian bike lane that would go across the parkway over to the west side, so this is really the nexus between the east and west," Israel said. "This is the area that's been slated by the city for real change and development."