Last September, Brighton Senior Housing hosted an event to celebrate the completion of a 100-kilowatt solar project to produce energy on top of the building. The installation generates renewable energy for this community in the Rainier Valley neighborhood of Seattle. The net metering credits Brighton receives from the project help lower operating costs.

Photo credit: Highline High School

On June 8, 2023, the Highline High School’s Environmental Club leaders invited funders, mentors and supporters to mark the installation of a 285-panel, 100-kilowatt solar panel system to produce energy on top of the new school. Over 30 years the solar system is projected to save more than $340,000 in energy costs.

Funded in part by an Evergreen Options grant in partnership with Tacoma Power, a new solar installation at the Oasis of Hope Center in Tacoma was celebrated with a ribbon cutting. The Oasis of Hope Center has a 31.68 kW system, which will generate an estimated 33,000 kWh annually. Thanks to the cost savings from lower energy bills, the center will have more funds available for youth services.

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) partnered with the City of Bonney Lake to install its fourth Community Solar site on the roof of the city’s peaking storage water reservoir. At 30 feet tall and 275 feet across, there were some challenges including how to safely get equipment and workers up on the site. Working with the city and installer, PSE designed and launched the project featuring 1,368 solar panels providing 450 kilowatts of AC power.  

Olympia Community Solar and the Olympia School District are partnering on an exciting new community solar project on Thurgood Marshall Middle School!  Enrollment is open for the 306 solar panels, a system large enough to power about half of the school’s energy needs (150 kW DC).  The project will bring long-term energy cost savings to the school, reduce pollution, and provide educational opportunities for the students at Thurgood Marshall. The solar array will provide young minds the opportunity to engage with an innovative technology that provides educational, economic, and environmental benefits to the school.