Community solar project coming to the Flathead

Residents and property owners in the Flathead may one day be able to invest in solar energy — without the hassle of lining up equipment, paying to install it and then maintaining it.

Community solar projects also provide electrical customers with a way to invest in green and renewable energy if they are renters or live in multi-family housing, or if their roof is shaded or oriented the wrong way to effectively catch sunlight.

At least 52 shared solar projects are operating in 17 different states, and interest is growing. When the idea was brought to the Flathead Electrical Cooperative’s board of trustees, it was met with enthusiastic support.

Co-op general manager Mark Johnson said the board has long been interested in providing local renewable energy projects for its customers. The Co-op currently purchases power from the county’s landfill gas plant, a hydroelectric facility at the Whitefish city reservoir, and the new boiler plant at the F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. mill.

Details about the Co-op’s plans for a community solar facility are still being developed, Johnson said — how many acres, how many panels, how Co-op members could buy into the project, and what kind of benefits members would receive.

In one scenario, the project could tie together more than 2,000 solar panels on Co-op land near one of its substations. Co-op members would buy into the project by “owning” one of the panels.

Johnson said private and public grants could be used to help pay for the project.

The idea is that, with the Bonneville Power Administration raising wholesale rates every few years, Co-op members could hedge against future power costs. Members who feel strongly about reducing carbon emissions also could feel better about their electrical consumption.

The Co-op has been gathering information about solar energy from a panel mounted at their offices on U.S. 2 in Evergreen. It now has some ideas about energy efficiency in what some people call “the foggy Flathead.” Northern tier states also see less sunlight in winter, when electrical demand is at its highest.