Community Solar Success in Leavenworth

For six years now the sun has shined down on the 96 solar panels atop the roof of the Icicle River Middle School in Leavenworth. The energy captured from that sunlight has generated 147,424 kilowatt hours of electricity in those six years, which after running through four inverters, was put back into the energy grid. Local donors and investors funded the Icicle River Middle School Community Solar Project in 2014, with the project conclusion occurring this year. 

The project was made possible through the Washington State Renewable Energy System Cost Recovery program, which was established to promote solar manufacturing in the state. The Icicle River Middle School project was the first and only community solar project in Chelan County, organized by the Earth Stewardship Group at Faith Lutheran Church in Leavenworth. 

The project, which by design had to go onto a public property that was not federal, was funded by 20 donors and a total of 39 investors. Investors received cost recovery payments on an annual basis from the Chelan County Public Utility District for the remaining six years of the program, at the rate of $1.08 per kilowatt hour produced. This enabled investors to fully recover their investment and enjoy a modest rate of return. The P.U.D. then received a tax credit from the state. 

In addition, the Cascade School District receives SNAP payments for the electricity produced. As of March 2020, the district had received a total of $8,666.92. Started in 2001, the SNAP program is designed to help make small-scale solar and wind power more cost-effective for customers. The program connects customers who want to produce solar and wind power with other local customers who want to support the development of new, renewable energy.

Jim White, Senior Energy Efficiency Engineer for the Chelan County P.U.D., says “to me, this community solar project is the truest form of public power. It is power generated by the public for the public.”

For the project organizers, this was never about making money. John and Mary Schramm of Leavenworth were among ten project investors that were also donors. "We feel the environmental crisis, including climate change, is the most critical issue we face at this time,” says Mary Schramm. “We therefore feel that any step we can take is important. We thought this project was especially significant and we’re happy to be a part of it." 

The project even helped Faith Lutheran attract its new pastor. Pastor Nancy Gradwohl says, “It was seeing faith in action that led me to answer the call to serve as pastor at Faith Lutheran. The congregation is active in social justice and Creation justice, as exemplified by spearheading the solar project at the middle school.”

After the project concluded on June 30, the ownership of the solar installation transferred to Cascade School District. Because the electricity goes back into the grid, the Chelan County Public Utility District will reimburse the school district for energy produced based on off-peak market prices. The district will also continue to receive SNAP payments.

“We are very thankful this project was installed on Icicle River Middle School,” says Mike Janski, principal of the school. “It is wonderful visual of how easy it can be to generate electricity. It also provides our School District with a monthly benefit that is appreciated today and into the future.” 

The project concluded without any major glitches. The years with more cloud cover, snow cover, or smoke had less energy production than the years where panels were clear. And the panels will keep on working for up to 50 years, with photons busily knocking electrons free from atoms inside the photovoltaic cells, creating electricity in the process.