Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Palouse residents can now track energy production by the city's new solar farm, which began operating in December.
A device connected to a router taps into a newly set-up antenna at the site installed by First Step Internet.
Costs are part of the original project, built last summer, finishing under budget. The antenna was a one-time fee of $200.
PCI Renewables of Spokane, a subcontractor, directed the latest work. The tracker started functioning April 26 – which can be seen at the city's website under the city hall-government link.
So far, in the limited-sunlight winter months, March produced the highest output with 4,438 kilowatts of electricity. April numbers are not yet available.
“So far, so good,” said Palouse Clerk-Treasurer Kyle Dixon.
With the solar production, the city has budgeted that it will save an estimated $1,000 per month on electricity.
“Preliminary figures are looking like it will be right at that,” Dixon said.
The 70-kilowatt panels, facing south and west at the eight-acre farm, power the city's well No. 3, which was found to be deficient in an audit by the solar project's contractor, Apollo Solutions of Kennewick.
The tracker shows the production in real-time, with hourly numbers put into a graph.
“It makes it so the public that pays for it can take a look and see the volume being produced,” said Michael Echanove, Palouse mayor.
The city expects a change order soon from Apollo, finalizing expenses on the work.
Dixon indicated that, in order to fulfill the project's contract – in regards to state grant funding received – the city may need to spend the rest of the funds. If so, it is likely it would be spent to install more solar panels at the site, on a hill just south of town past the railroad tracks.
The farm consists of rows of 2.5x5-foot non-tracking panels. Apollo acted as the main contractor, working with Pennell Renewables of Spokane.
Palouse's pump No. 3 was installed in the early 2000s after fears arose from the flood of 1996, which threatened the city's well No. 1. Well No. 2 is no longer in use.
In June 2016, the Palouse City Council authorized Echanove to apply for financing of up to $140,000 for a solar project. Later, a $130,000 state LOCAL (Local Option Capital Asset Lending) program loan was paired with a $277,000 grant secured by Apollo, from the Washington Department of Enterprise Services.
Loan payments are to be made from the expected savings in energy costs with the solar panels.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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