Solar’s Portland prospects grow brighter

by Alison Ryan
Daily Journal of Commerce

January 10, 2007

The city of Portland is turning up the heat on solar technologies with the Solar Now! campaign, a one-year effort to grow demand for solar hot-water and photovoltaic systems.

Over the next year, the project aims to get 100 systems installed in Portland – hopefully, said Amy Stork, Office of Sustainable Development communications specialist, in high-visibility locations and by high-visibility businesses and community members.

The city is partnering on the program with Solar Oregon, the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association and Energy Trust of Oregon, as well as local solar contractors. The Office of Sustainable Development’s involvement, said Jan Schaeffer, Energy Trust of Oregon’s communications and marketing director, could be the mainstream push the industry needs.

“If we reach out to the green leaders of Portland, we’ll be able to put some of these systems on significant roofs,” she said. “It should go a long way toward making people know solar really works in Oregon.”

Strategies for reaching the people that can create higher profile projects are in the development stages, Stork said.

“We’re working both internally and with some advice from marketing professionals in the community at getting the word out,” she said.

The campaign is also expected to raise awareness of existing resources. Solar Oregon – in existence since 1979 – has been offering residential workshops and solar outreach for years, said executive director Michael VanDerwater.

“It’s not new, it just hasn’t had the force it does now,” he said. “Because of OSD’s support, we’ve been able to standardize our program format.”

The organization will kick off its campaign involvement with a free “intro to solar” class – part of an upcoming workshop series – on Jan. 27.

An expanding industry

Interest in solar is on the rise, especially for residential projects, Schaffer said. In 2004, nine solar electric and three solar water-heating systems were installed by Portlanders through Energy Trust programs. In 2005, the number grew to 20 solar electric and 49 solar water-heating systems. And last year, 29 electric and 101 solar water-heating systems went in.

“I look at this and I see doubling every year,” Schaeffer said. “And by working together, we’re going to go twice as far.”

Availability of incentives and tax credits, from Energy Trust, the state of Oregon and the federal government, widen the solar appeal. On the residential side, for example, up to 50 percent of the cost of solar water-heater installation can be covered through credits and incentives.

“There are really great incentives out there, for the city as well as commercial businesses and residents,” said Lee Rahr, Solar Now! program coordinator.

Solar Now! currently has one-year funding. The city is seeking a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, which is offering a total of $1.6 million through its Market Transformation City Strategic Partnerships program. The grant is part of the Solar America Initiative, a U.S. Department of Energy program with a proposed 2007 budget of $148 million aimed at creating markets for solar technology.

The grant, Rahr said, would let the city grow the Solar Now! Program but also focus on figuring out solar possibilities for the city itself.

“If we get this grant,” she said, “we’ll be able to work more closely with solar for the city’s existing and new facilities.”

Funding is competitive, with six to eight cities expected to receive awards in March.

But for the year ahead, VanDerwater said, Solar Oregon is focused on educating Portlanders on the state’s abundant solar potential.

“Yes, we do have some rainy winters,” he said, “but the summer is tremendous.”

Local solar industries are expected to reap the campaign’s rewards, too.

“There’s a huge opportunity for local installers, as we create demand for them to have new customers,” Stork said.

“A lot of it is just visibility,” said Jeff Cropp, general manager of solar systems installer Mr. Sun Solar. “We’re hoping to reduce our marketing budget so we can focus on the installation side.”

The company also manufactures solar hot water heaters – it’s the only manufacturer of the product in the Northwest – and a boost to that side of the business is expected as well.

“With the increase in awareness,” Cropp said, “we can expand our manufacturing, and use that expansion to start developing beyond the state of Oregon.”