Three months after flipping the switch on Oregon’s “Solar Highway”, the project is already being declared a success.
The solar array near I-5 and I-205 in Tualatin. Courtesy ODOT
The solar highway is actually a solar interchange. Last year, an 8,000 square foot solar system was installed where I-5 and I-205 meet in Tualatin. During the day, the panels pump electricity into the grid. At night, the same amount of electricity is returned to power the lights at the interchange. The system went online mid-December 2008.
In a press release, PGE says the solar panels produce about 112,000 kilowatt hours a year, or 28% of the total electricity used to light the intersection. The utility says this should put to rest any doubts that Oregon doesn’t get enough sun in the winter to generate solar power.
The $1.3 million project is a joint venture between PGE, ODOT and US Bank. ODOT has plans to build more projects like this one, but the work has been delayed because of the state’s revenue shortfalls.
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