PSE awards more than $1 million in solar

BELLEVUE, Wash. (Feb. 25, 2021) – As an ongoing effort to provide assistance to our communities, an effort that is heightened by the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Puget Sound Energy is committed to supporting organizations that serve families and individuals in need. The company, through its Green Power and Solar Choice programs, has awarded more than $1 million in grant funding to 15 organizations in its service area to install new solar projects—the highest amount distributed through the programs to date. Recipients range from local non-profits, housing authorities and tribal entities serving low-income and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community members and projects that further clean energy in the region.

The annual generation of the projects will total nearly 560,000 kWh, equivalent to powering nearly 50 average homes each year with newly installed solar from the Puget Sound region. The goal is to help local organizations reduce operating costs while also reducing their carbon footprint by using renewable energy they’ve generated.

“These grants are possible because of our customers who have chosen to support clean, renewable power by participating in the PSE Green Power and Solar Choice Programs,” said PSE Director of Product Development Will Einstein. “Their participation in PSE’s voluntary renewables programs allows us to help these agencies fund new solar projects that create energy cost savings that they can use to support their core mission.”

The 15 recipients are: Lummi Nation School, Hopelink, El Centro de la Raza, King County Housing Authority, Sustainable Connections, Helping Hands Food Bank, Skagit Valley Hospitality House Association, Camp Korey, Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County, Institute for Washington’s Future, Friends of the Manchester Library, Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound, Nisqually Indian Tribe, South Whidbey Good Cheer Food Bank, and YWCA Olympia. 

“For 50 years Hopelink has been focused on helping people as they do the work to create stability in times of crisis and build a path out of poverty,” said Meghan Altimore, vice president of Community Services at Hopelink.  “PSE’s support helps us continue this mission along with helping us continue to be good stewards of our environment.”

Recipients partnered with local solar installation companies such as Banner Power Solutions, Ecotech Solar, Power Trip Energy, Puget Sound Solar, RedLine Solar, Solar by Barron, South Sound Solar, Sphere Solar Energy and Western Solar. The solar companies partnered with recipients to help complete their grant applications and will work to have their solar panels installed and producing energy by July 2021.

In addition to the $1 million in grants awarded this year, PSE has provided an additional $1.4 million in grant funding to 20 organizations in the last 3 years, resulting in almost 600 kW of newly installed solar capacity, and nearly 600,000 kWh of annual generation. PSE’s Green Power program will offer another competitive funding cycle later in 2021.

List of recipients