July 2024 Newsletter

A new community solar project in Ontario, OR is the first fully constructed project supported by the Oregon Department of Energy's Community Renewable Energy Grant Program.

The City of Ontario's nearly 3-megawatt solar project was awarded $900,000 in ODOE's first round of grants in 2022, and began producing renewable energy in December 2023. Ontario partnered with developer Fleet Development to build the Verde Light Community Solar facility, which can generate nearly 8 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The facility was built using solar modules that track the sun's movement to maximize its energy output.

The facility is part of the Oregon Community Solar Program, through which customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, or Idaho Power can "subscribe" to a community solar facility in their utility service area. Subscribers pay a subscription fee and receive a bill credit on their utility bill for their portion of energy generated by the project. Most customers save money on electricity costs through the program, and there are additional discounted rates for people with low incomes who sign up for the program.

The Verde Light Community Solar facility is in Idaho Power's service area in eastern Oregon. The City of Ontario is the first subscriber and expects to save about $50,000 on municipal electricity costs each year. Fleet Development estimates that low-income subscribers will receive discounts of 20 percent on their electricity bills - or about $200 per year for a subscriber with $1,000 in annual electricity costs.

The Oregon Department of Energy is proud to support projects like this through our Community Renewable Energy Grant program, which provides competitive grants for planning and constructing renewable energy or energy resilience projects. The program has awarded two rounds of grants totaling $24 million so far, and ODOE expects to announce a third round of $18 million in awards later this summer.

Grants are open to Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities. The program was created by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 to support projects outside Portland city limits, with an initial budget of $50 million, and an additional $20 million investment in 2023. Learn more on ODOE's website.