Solarize Hood River campaign brings affordable solar power to the county

Earlier this year the Energy Council adopted its 2022-2025 work plan and identified the Solarize Hood River campaign as one of the main priorities.

In 2018, four local government bodies signed onto the Hood River County Energy Plan as the ports of Hood River and Cascade Locks joined the City of Hood River and Hood River County to work towards goals set in the plan.

“It sets some goals for where we want to be in 2030, 2035, and 2040. Those goals are centered around reducing fossil fuel use, improving energy resiliency and improving local investment,” said MCEDD Energy and Project Manager Lindsay McClure.

McClure encourages anyone who is interested to attend a series of virtual workshops, where experienced solar professionals will give an overview on how solar energy and battery storage works.

Project managers and solar contractors will answer questions and clarify what is offered through the program. Participants in the program itself will receive incentives such as federal tax breaks, savings on monthly utility bills and discounts on installation costs.

There will be an in-person workshop in Spanish on Saturday, Sept. 24 at noon.

“This campaign is about providing long-term savings on electricity costs for local home and business owners,” said Solar Oregon Program Manager Zach Snyder in a press release.

Solar panels do not come cheap. According to Solar Oregon’s website, installation can cost between $3,600 and $13,000 for larger systems. Costs can depend on the size of system preferred, manufacturer and the ease of installation. Solarize Hood River contractors are working with participants to make sure they receive all the incentives associated with the program.

“And then they’ve also said that through this campaign, they’ll deduct an additional $1,000 off the price of solar that’s installed,” said McClure.

Depending on which utility provider you have, there is a rebate available from the Oregon Department of Energy.

As part of this campaign MCEDD has joined forces with the Hood River County Energy Council, Energy Trust of Oregon, Solar Oregon and The Next Door, Inc.

“I think that all of the partners on this project bring something special and unique,” said McClure. “That’s really allowed us to meet all the goals of the project.”

The Energy Trust of Oregon brings specialized technical knowledge of solar energy and important connections with contractors who will build the panels. McClure credits the Next Door for outreach and helping build relationships in the community.