The state prison near Pendleton is getting a $450,000 federal grant to install a solar water heating system.
The state prison near Pendleton is getting a $450,000 federal grant to install a solar water heating system.
UPDATE: This afternoon the Parks and Recreation Commission to move ahead with the project. Staff will now hold negotiations with the developer, Solar City.
Amid the carnival rides, the animals exhibits, and all that junk food… Oregon is planning something new for the State Fair in Salem.
The Parks and Recreation Commission is looking at a proposal for a 1.25 megawatt solar energy project at the fairgrounds and exposition center. That’s about 5,400 solar panels spread across the roofs of three buildings and another location on the ground.
Officials in Medford are looking at plans to build Oregon’s largest solar energy farm. It would be located at the city’s airport with solar panels on top of buildings and lining the runways. That’s about 70 acres in size, producing enough electricity to power some 2000 homes. Airport officials are working with a local energy company to get funding through the new stimulus law which includes billions for renewable energy projects. One official puts the cost of this project at about $100 million. From the Medford Mail Tribune.
Two of Oregon’s largest universities are sharing a $1.34 million investment in solar energy research.
OSU and UO say they’ll use the money to support research into improving solar cell manufacturing, discovering new solar technologies, and creating internships for graduate students at Oregon based solar companies.
Although the money comes from a variety of sources, it was put together by a relatively new agency called Oregon BEST. Oregon BEST was created by the legislature in 2007 to develop partnerships between the green building and renewable energy industries with researchers at the state’s public universities.
Earlier this year, Oregon BEST put together a $1.6 million dollar package for green building research at PSU and OSU.
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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