*photo credit: Zero Emissions Northwest

Zero Emissions Northwest (ZEN), Partners for Rural Washington (PRWA) and Washington State University (WSU) Extension are collaborating to help rural school districts and their communities save by installing solar power. Solar Washington interviewed ZEN President David Funk to learn more about the program.

Avista Utilities is partnering with the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center and the City of Spokane to build the first neighborhood community resiliency hub in the East Central District. The project is designed to back the existing year-round mission of providing food bank services, childcare services, and support for families that strengthen community connections and the ability to endure extreme weather events.

Local parishioner Stan Gent’s vision for energy independence, savings and resilience came to fruition in Fall 2024 as the 125-kW PV and 245-kWh battery energy storage system (BESS) came online at the Edmonds United Methodist Church (EUMC). This system will provide $13,000 in energy savings per year and be a community hub during lengthy power outages. The clean energy production will offset 12.4 tons of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to 233,000 car miles and 268 long haul flights, over its lifetime.

Construction of the solar array on Orting Veterans Village’s 35 tiny homes and community center was completed in July of this year.  As an integral community resource for the unhoused in Pierce County, Orting Veterans Village is an ideal location for hosting solar. The Orting Veterans Village solar project includes 4 to 8 solar panels across each of the thirty five tiny homes, depending on their orientation to the sun, and 103 panels on the community building (a total of 315 panels). MAD Energy NW designed and installed the 120 kilowatt system.

The inauguration of the West Mason Fire Solar Project was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 14, 2024. This installation is set to lower the District's energy costs, projecting savings of over $215,159 in the next forty years. It will also diminish West Mason Fire's carbon footprint by 32,000 pounds of CO2 emissions annually, which is comparable to planting 262 trees each year or refraining from driving 40,000 miles. The financial benefits from the solar project will enhance the services provided by West Mason Fire and the district, allowing for greater staff support and other community services.