Port Bellingham Ribbon Cutting. Picture Credit: PSE

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and the Port of Bellingham recently partnered to install PSE’s 14th Community Solar site. Solar Washington spoke with Leslie Myers, Senior Clean Energy Product Manager at PSE, to find out more about the Community Solar Program.

How the Program Works

Community solar was launched in 2021, Leslie explained, with the first project at Olympia High School. PSE’s goal is to increase access to solar energy. Since not everybody can afford it or has a roof that can withstand it, solar is not appropriate for everyone. Building a large, centralized resource provides a way to increase access for more customers.

Community solar is also part of Puget Sound Energy's distributed energy general resource goals. PSE is working to meet the clean energy implementation plan, which is part of the clean energy transformation. The clean energy implementation plan has a statement of reaching 50 megawatts of installed capacity just for community solar alone. “That was put into our approved UTC plan, so we are working to reach that. There is measurement in terms of how we are doing in our clean energy implementation plan and working towards those goals.”

There are two different types of shares at Community Solar, Leslie said. There's $20 per share for ‘general participants’, and there is also $0 per share for income eligible customers. Income-eligible customers are at 200% of the federal poverty level or 80% of the area median income. “Customers self-attest that they meet those goals. We don't require any kind of paperwork to prove their income. We wanted to make sure that we're increasing access to solar and including all our customers, no matter what their income level.”

Installation Locations

To find locations to install community solar, Leslie said, PSE looks for partnerships with organizations that have underutilized roof space and that are well located for solar. PSE also has a portal, the Post and Energy Project on www.pse.com, where anybody can apply to have a property considered for community solar. The energy from a PSE community solar site is all exported for subscribers and is not actually used by the host site.

Bonney Lake Community Solar Installation. Picture Credit: PSE

Solar installers also sometimes bring projects for PSE to consider for community solar, because they know the property is good for solar and the property owner is interested in having solar to meet their own sustainability goals.

PSE needs buildings that are at least 20,000 square feet in size, have at least 15 years of life left in the root, are capable of supporting the weight of heavy solar panels and allow 24/7 access for emergencies.

Perhaps surprisingly, PSE is neutral about who owns the building. “We have two projects at schools, we just opened a project in Bellingham with the Port of Bellingham, we have a beautiful solar array on the Bonney Lake Water Reservoir, and then we also have some from private industry and warehouses.”

Installation and Maintenance

For an installation, PSE starts by leasing the space for 15 years. “We worked with a variety of independent solar installers to bring these projects to life, and they get the money we pay them for the construction,” Leslie said. PSE then owns and maintains the array for as long as it is leasing the space.

The organization where solar is installed has the right to renew the lease after 15 years or to take ownership of the solar array at a depreciated value.

The Program Status and What’s Next

Leslie Myers. Picture Credit: PSE

PSE currently has more than 18 megawatts of installed capacity for communities, with 40 percent of the electricity generated going to income-eligible customers. “We have a stated goal of 30 percent,” Leslie said. “The more we can open up to income eligible customers, the better, and that comes through different grant funding that we've been able to secure.”

PSE will continue to build, Leslie said. “We have several other projects that are in the pipeline, at least two more that we're hoping to bring online. PSE has proposed to do at least three more megawatts from 2027 to 2029.” While more than that could be possible, she said that’s what the team asked for in the capital budget. The locations could be anywhere PSE operates in its electric service area.”

The multifamily solar product with privately owned solar arrays is another way of providing shared solar, Leslie noted.  Multifamily, or technically “multi-occupant solar”, is a privately-owned shared solar array where the energy is used by a house meter. Excess energy is exported out to the power grid, where it's divided to allocated customers. “You have to live or work on that property in order to get the benefit. If you had a condominium or something like that, you might install one large solar array and split it among the different residents that live or work there.”

“We're continuing to build,” Leslie said in conclusion. “We've got probably 10 megawatts in the pipeline for community solar. We are looking to build the three megawatts for PSE, and then we've got another set of megawatts that we are expecting to come through power purchase agreements.”