In November 2015, Peninsula Light energized Pierce County’s first community solar project: a 60-kilowatt array on the roof of Harbor History Museum.
The installation has produced more than 330,000 kilowatt-hours, which means the system has produced enough energy to offset half of the museum’s annual consumption each year.
Through state production incentives, more than 100 PenLight members reaped the benefits of the renewable energy produced by the solar array, with 1,800 solar units allocated to members who chose to participate in the project.
The community solar project was a great way for members who could not take advantage of solar energy generation at their homes because they rent, have tree cover, or due to out-of-range installation costs.
During the last five years, participants have received an annual incentive check from the state based on total energy production of the Harbor Community Solar project. This year’s payment marks the end of state incentives under the program, which expired in June 2020.
We thank Harbor History Museum and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation for their partnership on this successful project. We also appreciate A&R Solar’s crew for its enthusiasm and for installing the project on schedule.
Most of all, we thank our community solar participants. We are grateful and want you to know we couldn’t have done this without you.
As part of an ongoing educational effort, a display is installed inside the museum to track the project’s solar production. You can also visit our website for more pictures and videos of the installation video at our Harbor Community Solar page.