Multnomah County (OR) fares well in solar deal (1 MW PV for co. buildings)

[jpak]

http://www.sustainableindustries.com/energy/8860117.html

Oregon’s Multnomah County and the Energy Trust of Oregon are partnering on the state’s largest collective solar project to date.

The initiative, led by County Commissioner Jeff Cogan and approved June 28 by the county Board of Commissioners, calls for installing enough photovoltaic panels on county buildings to generate a combined 1 megawatt of electricity.

The county, which has not chosen a company to install the panels, says it plants to purchase the energy generated from the modules at current electricity rates, rather than the solar modules. The fixed rates create stability in a time of fluctuating energy costs, Cogan says. The county can re-evaluate in 10 years whether it wants to purchase the panels or continue purchasing the electricity alone.

“By helping to build a very supportive solar community here, it sends a signal to all the folks in the industry that we’re a place that values them and is going to work creatively to help them,” Cogan says.

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