Oregon Convention Center to Install Solar Panels
The Oregon Convention Center announced its intentions to install solar panels last week. Because the Center is currently the site of a conference for the solar energy industry, it decided to set a good example for attendees (as well as save a bunch of money on its electricity bill)! If you are in the area, be sure to attend the Northwest Solar Expo & Clean Technology Showcase, running through Sunday May 3.
Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember when the Oregon Convention Center was being constructed in the late 1980s. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the “greenest” cities on the West Coast, the Center is already a LEED-certified sustainable structure:
The Oregon Convention Center is the first convention center in the nation to achieve recertification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) at a higher rating.
The Center is calling for proposals for the solar panel work, no later than June 5, 2009. Managers are seeking a company that can help finance, design, build, operate and maintain a solar panel array on the roof of the structure. The winning bidder would sell electricity back to the Oregon Convention Center, as a utility, through a Power Purchase Agent.
Solar panels will soon grace the Oregon Convention Center
This approach would help avoid the debt associated with installing the panels. As a result, there will be no direct cost to the Center. In short, the solar company will assess the property and lock the Center into a power usage rate in a 20-30 year deal. The company installs the panels at its own cost and the Center receives a guaranteed lower power rate for the term of the deal.
And, “free advertising” will be conveyed to the thousands of people traveling along the Interstate who will be able to see the solar cells on the roof of the Convention Center.
So, the next time there is a green conference in Portland, Oregon, exhibitors and attendees can be inspired by the location itself. By practicing what the solar experts preach, the LEED-certified Oregon Convention Center is taking sustainability a step further than most.
I’m willing to bet that the improvements result in the scheduling of even more exhibitions and shows on the benefits of solar power and living green. If (when?) I start my own solar business, you can bet that I’ll be showcasing it in Portland.
Tags: install solar panels, LEED certified, oregon convention center, portland convention center, power purchase agent
