ROSE residents at Jim & Salle’s Place are one of the first community-led participants in Oregon’s Community Solar Program.
Solar panel installation by Sunbridge on an apartment building at 7531 SE Steel St. in Portland, October 2021. Photo by Jason Quigley for Energy Trust of Oregon.
Residents of Jim & Salle’s Place have become one of the first recipients of the Oregon Community Solar Project, launched in 2020. The programs connects communities that otherwise face barriers to accessing solar energy. These communities include renters, people with low-income, people living in multifamily housing, and homeowners that don’t have a sunny roof.
The Oregon Community Solar Project set aside 25% of the program’s capacity for small projects, with a minimum of 10% of each project reserved for low-income participants. Residents were able to join the project at no cost. The project is one of the program’s smallest projects, however the residents are receiving the highest energy saving rates. Participants will receive approximately $200-300 in bill credits per year for the length of the 20 year program.
This project has been made possible by customers participating in PGE’s Green Future program through the Renewable Development Fund, as well as generous financial and technical support from the Bonneville Energy Foundation, Energy Trust of Oregon, and Community Energy Project.
The system will generate about 52,000 kilowatt hours in the first year.
Installation was completed by SunBridge Solar. You can view the current and historical energy production of this project by clicking the link below.
“It wasn’t anything I could afford to tap into before. This is quite a blessing.”
– Rudy Thomas, Jim & Salle’s resident