Another 115MW Coming to Oregon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2017

New Oregon Solar Energy Development Program Enrolls First Round of Projects

Business Oregon approved 15 utility-scale solar energy projects to enroll in the new Solar Development Incentive program, created in the 2016 Oregon legislative session. The program encourages development of 2-10 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic energy projects in Oregon by providing an incentive per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated.

Solar at the utility-scale is nascent in Oregon and developers face higher costs being the first to take on projects. As the industry gains experience it becomes more efficient, and in doing so, the costs of building utility-scale solar projects should decrease.

"Utility-scale solar is trending to be cost-competitive with traditional forms of energy generation very soon," said Jeff Bissonnette, Executive Director of the Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association. "Global markets have brought down the hard costs of components, and the Solar Development Incentive helps drive down soft costs by accelerating utility-scale project development and increasing installation efficiency in Oregon."

The Solar Development Incentive program helps accelerate the deployment of 2-10 MW sized projects. Qualified projects receive a monthly payment of $0.005 per kWh, for up to five years. The program is capped at 150MW worth of projects, but the 55 applications that Business Oregon received totaled 293 MW of solar energy capacity.

The 15 projects selected to date represent 116MW of the total 150MW capacity and are mostly located in central, southern, and eastern Oregon. Additional award announcements from the application pool are forthcoming.

This is a one-time enrollment incentive program and is no longer accepting applications. Additional information is available on our Solar Development Incentive program web page.

Approved Projects

  • Coronal Energy (2 projects/20 MW)
    • Adams Solar Center, LLC—10 MWac project located in Jefferson County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by April 1, 2017.
    • Bear Creek Solar Center, LLC—10 MWac project located in Deschutes County. Expected to be commercially operational by November 16, 2017.
  • Cypress Creek Renewables, LLC (3 projects/23 MW)
    • Hyline—9 MWac project located in Malheur County.
    • Commercially operational on November 19, 2016.
    • NorWest Energy 2, LLC—10 MWac project located in Deschutes County.
    • Commercially operational on December 31, 2016.
    • Railroad—4 MWac project located in Malheur County.
    • Commercially operational on December 6, 2016.
  • ET Solar (3 projects/28 MW)
    • OR Solar 3—10 MWac project located in Klamath County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by March 15, 2017.
    • OR Solar 5—8 MWac project located in Baker County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by July 26, 2017.
    • OR Solar 6—10 MWac project located in Lake County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by March 24, 2017.
  • NextEra Energy (1 project/5 MW)
    • Old Mill Solar—5 MWac project located in Klamath County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by April 1, 2017.
  • Obsidian Renewables, LLC (2 projects/18 MW)
    • Fossil Lake—10 MWac project located in Lake County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by December 1, 2017.
    • Black Cap II—8 MWac project located in Lake County.
    • Commercially operational on November 30, 2016.
  • Pine Gate Renewables (2 Projects/11.9 MW)
    • OSLH, LLC—9.9 MWac project located in Deschutes County.
    • Commercially operational on December 31, 2016.
    • SP Solar 5, LLC (Mill Creek)—2 MWac project located in Yamhill County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by June 30, 2017.
  • SolarCity (1 project/8 MW)
    • Woodline Solar—8 MWac project located in Klamath County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by November 30, 2017.
  • Sunthurst (1 project/2 MW)
    • Pilot Rock Solar 1—2 MWac project located in Umatilla County.
    • Expected to be commercially operational by September 30, 2018.

Contact: Nathan Buehler, 503-689-3559

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