In this space we list any upcoming events or news of interest to community members. Please check back frequently so that you don’t miss out on important opportunities in your area.
Two New Projects Reach Important Milestone (Posted 01 MAY 2024)
We are very happy to announce that two of our Community Solar projects reached a key milestone last month. Pacific Power completed the Interconnection Studies for the Oregon Wild Flower and OSU Pear projects. This milestone is crucial in the development of our projects because it verifies that the utility can connect the projects to the grid, defines the cost for doing so and provides Pacific Power’s timeline to complete the work. With these documents at hand we can now approach Jackson County to secure the appropriate authorizations to build. Once the County approves our plans, we can pre-certify the projects with the Oregon Community Solar Program and the Oregon PUC, which will authorize us to enroll participants and start the construction phase of the projects.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Solarize Rogue and Oregon Clean Power Coop Celebrate Launch of OSF Community Solar Project (Posted 17 AUG 2022)
On 28 July 2022 we celebrated the launch of the OSF Community Solar project, which went live on 14 MAR 2022. Several dignitaries and members of the community gathered over Zoom to rejoice on the achievements of the four-way partnership between OSF, Solarize Rogue, Oregon Clean Power Coop and the community. Click here to go to the OSF Community Solar project page and read what people had to say about the finished project.
New Projects Lining Up for Solarize Rogue (Posted 31 MAY 2022)
Now that our pilot project at the OSF Production Building in Talent, OR has reached completion, Solarize Rogue and its partner, the Oregon Clean Power Coop, are preparing to launch several new projects throughout Southwestern Oregon. These second-wave projects are expected to be much larger than our pilot, reaching sizes between 800 and 1,300 kW, each. We will open enrollment to participate in these projects to all Oregon residents who are currently serviced by Pacific Power, irrespective of location. While part of our projects will be targeting access for low income families, there will be plenty of opportunity for Oregonians to own panels in these projects at a significantly reduced cost because of economies of scale. Be sure to sign up soon to ensure that you get the clean, renewable energy your home needs by contacting us. We will be announcing the official kick-off for these projects very soon, so please check back.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Community Solar project goes LIVE!!
On 14 MAR 2022 the 141.18 kW Community Solar project hosted by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival went LIVE!! Since then, it has quietly produced over 54,000 kWh powering the homes of 16 Rogue Valley residents. In addition, the project is providing two low income families home energy at a 20% discount. These families were recruited by Rogue Climate. We will be having an on-site celebration some time this summer and hope that community members can come by to discover Community Solar and what clean, renewable energy is all about.
What’s Happening with Community Solar?
On 16 NOV 2021, Solar Oregon hosted a panel discussion entitled: “What’s Happening with Community Solar? — An Interactive Panel Discussion.” Ray Sanchez-Pescador, President, Solarize Rogue, Ryan Cook, Program Manager, Energy Trust of Oregon, and Sherrie Villmark, Program Director, Community Energy Project joined Zach Snyder, Program Manager Solar Oregon to talk about what is Community Solar, what the program has achieved to date, where it is going and how Oregon residents can participate. You can watch the webinar here. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss how you can be part of one of these new projects.
Solarize Rogue Presents a Community Solar Webinar at the SOCAN October Meeting
On 26 OCT 2021, SOCAN hosted Ray Sanchez-Pescador, President of Solarize Rogue and Jim Hartman of the Ashland Solar Cooperative to discuss the concept of Community Solar projects in the Rogue Valley (Pacific Power territory) and Ashland, Oregon. The presentation also included an update on the OSF Community Solar project in Talent (currently under construction) as well as new opportunities for people considering a transition to clean, renewable energy. You can watch the webinar here. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your options one on one.
OSF Community Solar Project Achieves Certification by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission
On 22 SEP 2021 the Oregon Public Utilities Commission granted full Certification to the Oregon Shakespear Festival Community Solar Project in Talent, OR. This 141.18 kW-DC system will provide clean, renewable energy to 16 participant owners’ homes, including 5 renters, and to 3 low income families in the Rogue Valley. This is the FIRST “Carve-Out” project in the State, the FIRST Certified project in Pacific Power territory and the FIRST “Participant-Owned” project in the State. This project demonstrates that community members can indeed own their power-generating equipment even if the solar panels are not physically located on their rooftops. We hope that people without suitable roofs for solar will get excited about this option and help us build more projects that directly benefit the community. Please contact us if you want to learn more about Community Solar projects in Southern Oregon.
Open Position: Board Member
This is a volunteer (unpaid) position that requires about 5 to 15 hours per month working with other board members to define and implement the organization’s strategic and tactical approaches to achieve its short and long-term goals. Prior experience with PV systems would be nice but not required. Previous or current work experience in Finance, Accounting, Legal, Marketing, Customer Support or Administration would be very welcome. We offer a challenging but rewarding line of work helping community members participate in transforming their home or business energy usage to clean, renewable energy, whether they own or rent, by developing novel Community Solar projects in the Rogue Valley. If you want to be part of our community’s transition to clean, renewable energy, please contact us.
OSF Community Solar Project
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Community Solar Project is now on the final stages of construction. Once the OPUC certifies this project and construction is complete it will start generating clean, renewable energy for our community members.
Next Community Solar Project
We are actively looking for a site to host our next Community Solar project. If you own a large roof facing south or a lot of brown land with good sun exposure we’d like to talk to you. Please contact us at your earliest convenience to see if we can jointly help our community transition to clean, renewable energy.