Community Solar – Investing for Profit, Efficiency and Jobs

In a press release April 19th King County invited communities to invest in construction of solar panels for production of electricity to help power county facilities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

"Under the County's new Community Solar Program, a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued today offers prospective partners the opportunity to lease the use of County sites at low cost, install solar projects, and receive financial incentives from a Washington state solar energy program. The list of potential sites ranges from closed landfills, court buildings, wastewater treatment plants, and park-and-ride lots. The County is already in discussions about a potential project on Vashon Island." 

The request for proposal (RFP) document is available from Roy Dodman in the County's Procurement and Contract Services Section at 206-263-9293, orRoy.Dodman@kingcounty.gov

Included in the RFP is a list of sites where the county would like to see installations take place. The list includes Shoreline District Court. Return on investment will vary according to the size and production rate of each installation. An example of the expenses and income from an established installation is listed in the RFP document.  

A pre-proposal conference to discuss questions related to this RFP is taking place Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. in Procurement Conference Room #310, 401 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Seattle, Washington, 98104.

Pictured are made in Washington Silicon Energy solar panels installed on the roof of a local residence.