PUD partners with City of Everett on next solar project

Snohomish County PUD is partnering with the City of Everett on a solar project that will be built in south Everett and generate funds that will assist PUD customers having trouble paying their bill.

Partially funded by the Washington Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund (CEF), the south Everett solar project will be built adjacent to Walter E. Hall Park in south Everett and will direct solar generation benefits to Project PRIDE, the PUD’s customer-funded income-qualified program that currently serves 500 customers annually.

“This project will allow us to power more homes and businesses with clean energy and help our most vulnerable customers at the same time,” said John Haarlow, PUD CEO/General Manager. “We’re excited to work with the City of Everett to bring clean solar power to the Casino Road neighborhood.”

Instead of selling energy units to customers, the PUD will donate funds generated by the new south Everett solar project to its Project PRIDE program. Administered by St. Vincent de Paul, Project PRIDE provides one-time grants for families and individuals who need help paying their energy bills. The program will receive an estimated additional $27,600 in annual energy credits through the community solar project.

The PUD signed an agreement with the City of Everett to build the new community solar project on city property near Walter E. Hall Park in south Everett. Locating the solar array at this location will enhance energy resiliency in a dense urban community with heavily loaded electric circuits in the summer.

“We’re proud to partner with the PUD on this project that will generate renewable solar energy and offset utility costs for income-qualified households,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin.

The planned solar array will have a capacity of 375 kilowatts AC, generating enough electricity to power approximately 40 homes.

The PUD was awarded a grant worth $861,814 under the Washington Clean Energy Fund 3 Low-Income Community Solar Deployment Program to help pay for the project. Washington State’s Clean Energy Fund is managed by the Washington State Department of Commerce, which supports the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technology.

The cost to build the project is estimated to be approximately $1.5 million.

The PUD developed its first community solar project as part of its Arlington Microgrid site in 2019, selling the energy units to customers interested in promoting solar power without access to it.

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