The state prison near Pendleton is getting a $450,000 federal grant to install a solar water heating system.
Here’s the press release from the Department of Corrections.
RECOVERY ACT FUNDS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT AT EASTERN OREGON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
Pendleton, OR – The Oregon Department of Energy has announced that the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) will receive $450,000 in federal funds for a renewable energy project to be installed at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. The project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act awarded through the State Energy Program (SEP). These funds are designated for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in public buildings. The U. S. Department of Energy administers the funds, approves the projects and reviews the state’s progress.
ODOC will use the funds to design and construct a solar heating system to heat domestic water for use within the institution. ODOC will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a consulting firm to perform the design for the system. Following completion of the design, ODOC will advertise the project and select a contractor to perform the installation. The Request for Proposals and the advertisement for the contractor following design will be posted on the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) at orpin.oregon.gov
“We are pleased to make this award to the Oregon Department of Corrections,” said Shelli Honeywell, manager of the Oregon Department of Energy ARRA team. “Not only will this project generate energy, but the funds will be used to put contractors to work.”
The Oregon Department of Energy received more than 1,100 letters of interest, representing a request of over $2 billion in Recovery Act funding
[...] Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, as reported by Natural Oregon, will be given the $450,000 grant to “design and construct a solar heating system to heat [...]
As this goes forward, I hope that the prison, and/or ODOC, and/or ODOE, will keep us posted on the energy balance and cost issues.
I frequently hear the conventional wisdom that renewables are so much more expensive than fossil fuels. I think this mythology is one of the most significant barriers to general public acceptance of the opportunity for mass conversion to renewables.
In a town like Pendleton, a linchpin of Eastern Oregon and a traditionally “conservative” place, this kind of conservation and energy-independence development can help change public perception.