PGE expands rooftop solar at five operational facilities

More Oregonians are adding solar panels to their roofs to increase energy efficiency at home and reduce their power costs. In neighborhoods throughout PGE’s service area, you can find panels on residential homes, apartment buildings, schools and community centers – and increasingly, on PGE’s own operational facilities.

Since 2012, PGE has installed rooftop solar on five of its properties and continues to explore ways to conserve energy in its owned buildings. By transforming offices, operation and training centers into sites for solar power generation, the company is expanding its use of renewable energy while reducing energy costs and demand on the grid.

Of PGE's 17 facilities, 5 have solar panels installed – with more on the way:

1. Sherwood Training Center: This facility, where linemen-in-training learn the skills of the trade, was designed and built with a roof surface large enough to generate enough solar energy to meet the power needs of the entire facility. 82kW of solar capacity were installed in 2021, with another 81kW added in December 2023. The training center is currently a Zero Emissions facility - a building that is highly energy efficient, does not emit greenhouse gases directly from energy use, and is powered solely by clean energy - with surplus production and room for future growth included in the build.

2. Salem Operations Center: The 420kW system is PGE’s largest solar installation to date and is expected to become fully operational soon. Once online, the solar array is estimated to offset about 80% of the facility’s total power needs.

Fun fact: When it was first built in the 1970s, the Salem Operations Center was equipped with rooftop solar hot water panels. This structural engineering from back in the day proved helpful in solving for today’s needs, ensuring the building was equipped to handle the weight of a large solar system.

3. Integrated Operations Center (IOC): The IOC is one of PGE’s newest and most advanced facilities. An initial 155kW of solar capacity began generating power in January 2022, with an expansion up to 220 kW in 2023 – enough generation to offset 10-15% of the building’s energy usage. This summer, PGE plans to lay solar panels on covered parking spaces, with capacity for generating up to 350kW of solar energy. More solar will be added to adjacent field in the coming years, making the IOC one of PGE’s most efficient and impressive buildings.

4. Portland Operations Center: Solar panels at the facility’s garage were installed in 2018 and provide 33kW of solar capacity.

5. Avery Operations Center: This facility had a small array installed when it was built in 2012. While smaller than the other solar arrays on this list, producing about 9kW of solar energy, it remains an important example of rooftop renewable generation.

PGE assessed its 14 additional facilities to determine their suitability for solar installations and plans to install rooftop solar at our Tualatin Contact Center and Woodburn Operations Center later this year. When combined with wind and battery storage, solar remains a crucial resource as PGE works towards its 2030 emissions reduction target.