Portland, Oregon was recently selected for funding from Portland General Electric’s Renewable Development Fund grant program to pilot its first solar+storage facility at Fire Station 1, the main incident command post for Portland Fire & Rescue.
This project is intended to increase the resiliency of critical city infrastructure in the event of a prolonged power outage, such as in cases of earthquakes. The new system will save $3,300 annually in electricity costs.
As more PV and energy storage systems come online, the importance of training first responders on how to use these types of systems will continue to grow. The Fire Station 1 installation will help others in the firefighting and emergency response communities learn how to design and use solar-plus-storage installations.
This project was made possible with a $90,000 grant from Portland General Electric. Energy Trust of Oregon will provide technical assistance with the design and feasibility analysis.
The City of Portland was powered by 100% renewable energy for fiscal year 2015 to 2016, the first year that Portland has met this goal.
In 2015, Portland City Council adopted the Sustainable City Government 2030 Environmental Performance Objectives, directing City operations to purchase or generate clean power for 100% of electricity needs.
The 2015 Climate Action Plan further calls for 15% of the City’s electricity use to be from onsite generation of renewable energy, like solar and biogas. For this current fiscal year, seven percent of the city’s electricity came from onsite renewable energy generation assets.
Mayor Charlie Hales’ and the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability have been working steadily to increase the amount of solar electric capacity installed on city facilities. The fire station and an installation on the North Police Precinct will move the city closer to achieving its onsite energy generation goal.
News from www.portlandoregon.gov