A presentation by James King (2016) providing an overview of Ellensburg's Community Solar & Renewables Park focusing on history and development, successes of the project, and potential improvements for the future.

1. Ellensburg Community Solar:
Accessibility and Improvement
James King
GEOG 442
Winter 2016
http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

2. Outline:
 Research Problem
 Research Questions
 Introduction
 Ellensburg Electric Utilities
 History of Ellensburg’s Community Solar Project
 Impacts of ECS
 Analysis of Ellensburg Demographics
 Impediments to Solar
 Successes of the Project
 Plans for the Future
 Conclusions
 Suggestions for Improvement
http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

3. Research Problem
 The Ellensburg Community Solar program seeks to provide the option of
renewable energy to customers through investment in the solar park, but this
access may not be evenly distributed
 In addition, customer and community involvement in the project may be lacking in
certain areas of the community including, but not limited to:
 Low-income communities
 Students living on-campus
 Businesses

4. Methodology
 The first stage of this research was to identify the impact on energy costs and
availability to customers, the energy sovereignty of Ellensburg, and
relationships with other energy entities resulting from the establishment of the
solar park
 Then this research sought to identify impediments and roadblocks which may be
resulting from the organization of the park itself, as well as the nature of solar
energy in general and analyze potential improvements and solutions to reduce
or eliminate these impediments
 Data was a mixture of secondary data gathered from internet, journal and print
publications, as well as primary quantitative and qualitative data provided by
the Ellensburg Energy Services Department via public request

5. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

6. Source: The Daily Record

7. Research Questions
 1. How has the Ellensburg Community Solar Project (ECS) impacted the cost and
availability of energy to customers of Ellensburg Utilities?
 2. How has this project influenced (or been influenced by) Ellensburg’s energy
sovereignty?
 3. What groups (class, ethnic, geographic, etc.) may currently be experiencing
impediments and/or obstacles to participating in ECS? What are these
impediments, and what might be causing them?
 4. Can ECS expand and increase service to customers, especially marginalized
groups with little or no current access, with no significant raise in energy prices or
loss of availability? How might they do this?

8. Ellensburg Electric Utilities
 1892: City of Ellensburg forms municipal electric utility
 Oldest municipal utility in Washington State (City of Ellensburg 2016b)
 Municipal Utilities: “part of a local government unit. . . Usually, the municipally owned
utility serves only the town or city within its legally defined territorial boundaries. . .
Municipal power systems are controlled by a local city governing board or council, either
directly or through a city manager who reports directly to that board or council.” (Duffey-
Armstrong and Armstrong 1979:11)
 Serves 9,200 customers within city limits (City of Ellensburg 2016)
 Purchases and imports energy from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)
 Current Energy Rate: $0.0593 per kWh (City of Ellensburg 2016b)

9. Source: City of Ellensburg 2014 Fuel Mix Disclosure

10. Ellensburg Electric Utilities (Cont.)
 Non-Profit: All income is used to pay for acquisition, distribution, and maintenance
of energy and energy-related infrastructure (Ellensburg Energy Services
Department 2016)
 Controlled and operated by the city (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 All policies, rate changes, and so on are decided through the City Council
 These are all elected officials, so have responsibility to city residents
 All city council meetings are open to public comment, and city representatives are also
accessible via phone or e-mail
 Make effort to remain open and accessible to ensure local control

11. Ellensburg Community Solar
 First conceived in 2004 by Utilities staff during Northwest Solar Conference (Hay
2006)
 After seeking and receiving extensive support, financial and otherwise, from City
Council, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Northwest SEED, and others, Phase 1
was completed in November 2006 (Farrell 2010)
 Needed $50,000 in community pledges, received $119,000 from 73 individual investors
(Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Initially planned for 23 kW, but built to generate 36 kW (Nystedt 2012)
 These initial investors receive payback equal to investment percentage (Northwest
Community Energy 2009)
 Investor A contributed 3%, so receives credit for 3% of power generated from park (Nystedt 2012)
 Key Point: NO STATE/FEDERAL RENEWABLE INCENTIVES AT THE TIME (Johnston 2007)
 Began before a steep drop in cost of solar (Swearingen 2015)

12. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

13. Ellensburg Community Solar (Cont.)
 Total Cost of the Project: $1,002,520
 $431,863 came from grants
 $409,090 came from community investors
 City Utilities covered the additional $161,567
 Average investment of individual contributors: $3,845
 (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)

14. http://solarwa.org/tour/kittitas-
county/ellensburg-community-solar-
project

15. Ellensburg Community Solar (Cont.)
 Phase 2: February 2009, added 72 additional panels (Solar Washington 2016)
producing 21.6 kW (Northwest Community Energy 2009; Nystedt 2012)
 CWU provided $120,000 grant
 Phase 3: December 2009, 180 thin-film panels installed, 24 kW produced
(Northwest Community Energy 2009)
 $50,000 from Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Lights, $35,000 from Kittitas
County Public Utilities Department
 State and Federal Incentives added: $0.30 cents a kWh rebate
 2010: incentives double for in-state manufactured solar panels
 Phase 4: Began in late 2014, expected completion in September 2016
(Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 2015: New Funding Method: Recommended to council in 2014 by Our
Environment (Matarrese 2015), established voluntary $2.50 block purchases of
renewable energy (Rowbotham 2014)
 Phase 5: $500,000 expansion being planned with CWU (Ellensburg Energy
Services Department 2016)

16. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

17. Impacts of ECS
 Ellensburg’s Energy Sovereignty: All of the power produced by the solar park is consumed
within the city (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Produces less than 0.05% of the city’s energy use (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 111 kW generated, out of 185 million kWh consumed each year in the City of Ellensburg (Nystedt 2012)
 Thus has miniscule impact on energy sovereignty, as Ellensburg is still required to purchase and
import power from BPA (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Energy Availability also experienced little impact
 No surge or loss in power availability, simply option to change part of the source
 Only effect on cost was to those who chose to invest: non-investors continue to receive
standard city rate
 Investors chose to pay premium rate, higher than standard rate (Ellensburg Energy Services
Department 2016)
 $2.50 buys a 100mWh block of renewable energy, about $0.065 a kWh, compared to the BPA rate of $0.03
per kWh (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Steep costs result of the park’s construction before cost of solar technologies plummeted (Swearingen
2015)
 Relations with other groups: Most were strengthened through partnerships
 BPA, PSE, DOE, Ellensburg City Council, community groups, and many others

18. (Noll, Dawes and Rai 2014)

19. Analysis of Ellensburg Demographics
 Groups with potential lack of access to ECS:
 Hispanic and Latino Communities: made up 9.7% of Ellensburg’s population in 2010
(United States Census Bureau 2016)
 Renters: the percentage of people who live in the housing unit they own is only 30.1%,
compared to the Washington State average of 62.7% (United States Census Bureau 2016)
 53% of residents lived in the same housing unit as the year before; 82.6 State average (United
States Census Bureau 2016)
 Poverty and Low-Income Communities: 38.8% of Ellensburg residents are considered ‘in
poverty’ [WA State: 13.2%], though the Census Bureau acknowledges this is geographically
skewed, probably due to number of college students (United States Census Bureau 2016)
 Elderly: 8.9% of residents are over the age of 65 (United States Census Bureau 2016)
 Raises questions of retirement, social security and pension funds, ownership or mortgage status of
their residence, reservations toward new technology, and so on.
 University students living on campus: Residence halls handle utility payments, so there is
no on-campus option to participate in ECS
 7.9% of residents are disabled, possibly meaning lack of income and/or access (United
States Census Bureau 2016)

20. Source: Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016

21. Impediments to Solar
 Fragmentation in business, residential and government sectors, preventing effective
organization and cooperation (Duffey-Armstrong and Duffey 1979)
 Social norms, perceptions, and public attitudes (Himmelman 2012)
 Lack of confidence in potential of solar, i.e. Solyndra (Himmelman 2012; Williams 2014;
Artale and Dobos 2015)
 Controversy over aesthetic qualities of solar panel installments (Duffey-Armstrong and
Duffey 1979)
 Resistance to lifestyle changes (Duffey-Armstrong and Armstrong 1979)
 Legal issues of access, permitting, etc.
 Land-use laws: many states lack regulatory policies for land-use regarding solar (Duffey-
Armstrong and Armstrong 1979; Artale and Dobos 2015)
 Permits for installment, maintenance, connection to the power grid, etc. (Benmar 2010;
Himmelman 2012)
 Financial Burden: large short-term costs create a deterrence, however returns-on-
investment over a period of 10 years are acceptable by many (Duffey-Armstrong and
Duffey 1979)
 Current state and federal incentives can allow payoff in Kittitas County in around 4 years

23. Impediments to Solar (Cont.)
 Distrust of Utilities: many regions have shown a distrust of energy distributors,
especially large, private entities (Duffey-Armstrong and Duffey 1979; Talbot and
Morgan 1981)
 Resistance from Utilities: many utilities reluctant to support/allow solar technology
(Duffey-Armstrong and Duffey 1979; Talbot and Morgan 1981)
 Fear losing economic strength: centralized solar technology is not efficient enough to
compete with other centralized energy generation methods
 Economies of Scale: individual installation of renewable technology, including solar,
is usually more expensive than centralized installation of the same technology
(Duffey-Armstrong and Duffey 1979)
 Example: One 15,000 gallon water tank is cheaper than ten 1,500 gallon tanks
 Small-scale grids (community/neighborhood) are more prone to peak use jumps, so
require larger generators than usually necessary or may experience outages (Duffey-
Armstrong and Duffey 1979; Boyle 2012)
 Warranty Issues: most solar retailers offer warranties only up to one year (Duffey-
Armstrong and Duffey 1979)
 Required long-term warranties of 5 years or more is being considered as incentive

24. Impediments to Solar (Cont.)
 Politics of energy production: electricity generated by solar becomes part of the
public domain once it enters the grid (Williams 2014)
 Subject to government and corporate control through regulation and management
regardless of whether utilities are investor or public owned (Talbot and Morgan 1981;
Himmelman 2012; Williams 2014)
 Lack of adequate building site: improperly oriented, heavily shaded homes are not
effective sites for solar installation (Benmar 2010; Boyle 2012; Swearingen 2015)
 Renters, those who lease, apartment users, etc. lack control to modify homes
 The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that 49% of U.S. households and 48%
of businesses are not suitable for rooftop photovoltaic system (Artale and Dobos 2015)
 Adequate and Inexpensive sources of energy are already available (Williams 2014)

25. Successes of the Project:
 Allows renters and others to participate and support renewable energy
 Allows low-bundle investment: $2.50 blocks instead of $250+ investments
 About 20 new investors since project began in 2015 (Ellensburg Energy Services Department
2016)
 Simplifies process: city handles maintenance, finances, etc. all the customer needs to
do is sign up (Artale and Dobos 2015; Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Uses land which was “marginal” with low economic use and value (Naheen, Subail-Bin-
Alam and Debnath 2013)
 Brought together community in a widely celebrated and enjoyed program, fostering
trust and building relationships for future cooperation (Johnston 2007; Noll, Dawes,
and Rai 2014)
 Set example for other communities and organizations interested in implementing
community solar (Johnston 2007; Benmar 2010; Farrell 2010; Swearingen 2015)
 Continued advancement of solar technology, reduction of prices, and increased
community support suggests solar power will continue to grow (Johnston 2007; Boyle
2012)
 Keeps some energy-related funds within the city rather than channeling to BPA
(Nystedt 2012)

26. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

27. Successes of the Project (Cont.)
 As of 2010, had prevented 304,000 lbs of greenhouse gases into the atomosphere
(Benmar 2010)
 The nature of the municipal utility means the community maintains control,
enhancing democratic participation (Talbot and Morgan 1981)
 Created partnerships with entities including Ellensburg, environmental groups,
BPA, the Bonneville Environmental Fund, CWU, Northwest SEED, and others
improving cooperation and efficiency
 Brought together residential sector, businesses, energy companies, and others
 Project is independently funded through community contributions, ensuring funds
do not detract from other spheres (Ellensburg Energy Services Department 2016)
 Paves way for continued funding and expansion, matching the pace of community
interest and involvement
 Has contributed to the state economy by purchasing equipment from in-state
sources
 Can be used as a source of tourism by attracting visitors, engineers, and others
interested in renewable and solar technologies (Benmar 2010; Swearingen 2015)
 Aids in benefitting from economies of scale by purchasing equipment in bulk
(Naheen, Subail-Bin-Alam and Debnath 2013)

28. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124

29. Plans for the Future:
 Phase 5: Working with CWU on a grant to continue expansion
 Energy Services Department is hiring a marketing specialist to publicize the
project in the hopes of attracting more supporters
 City Council is highly supportive of further expansion and growth
 Plan is to continue to expand as funds are gathered
 The Solar Park (‘Renewable Park’) also has a wind component, and as of 2012
were producing an additional 17.6 KW of renewable power (Nystedt 2012)

30. Conclusions:
 Overall, the ECS project has had little impact on energy costs, availability and
sovereignty in the city of Ellensburg
 ECS has provided a physical example for other communities to study and improve
upon
 ECS has set a valuable precedent within the city, as well as a symbol of the City’s
commitment to renewable energy and sustainable energy
 Certain impediments still exist within the system, though some are unavoidable and
result from the nature of solar energy itself
 Premium costs deter low-income users, small size of the park prevents significant impact on
energy production, based on incentives which are subject to change
 Certain groups are excluded or deterred from participation, but again some of these
are unavoidable or challenging to improve

31. (Noll, Dawes and Rai 2014)

32. Suggestions for Improvement:
 Create Solar Advisory Committee made up of individuals from City Council, local
organizations and groups, and representatives from utilities (Department of Energy
2009)
 Establish solar installation targets, include solar in future city planning, pursue Feed-in Tariff
legislation, etc.
 Gather more data from the community to further understand what impediments
people have experienced as well as what has worked
 Offer incentives and/or discounts, especially to low-income groups and renters
 Encourage business investment and participation in the program
 Advertise: leaflets, community announcements, web page on the city website,
newspaper advertising, etc.
 Place a sign on the highway near the park to generate interest (Nystedt)
 Continue to pursue rooftop solar
 Offer loans or partner with credit institutions to cover up-front cost of solar installation
(Himmelman 2012)
 Continue to improve efficiency and ease of permit and installation process (Department of
Energy 2009)
 Consider aggregated purchasing of solar equipment for the city such as a group of local
businesses or residential neighborhood

33. Suggestions for Improvement (Cont.)
 Implement construction methods such as passive solar designs to improve energy
efficiency of buildings
 Offer consultation advice or recommendations for developers/homebuilders
 Lead by Example: install rooftop solar on city-owned buildings where feasible
(Department of Energy 2009)
 City Hall, Public Library, University, schools, post office, County courthouse, etc.
 Consider expanding ECS by allocating unused lands or areas with low economic
potential, and construct more solar parks
 Emphasize Community Participation in the ECS project
 Community cleaning event: wash panels, enjoy snacks, listen to speakers, etc.
 Option to donate and have a plaque installed with your name in the park or on a panel
 Invite school groups [K-12 and College] as well as interested organizations such as Rotary
Club, The Oddfellows for tours and educational events
 Continue to bolster an overall sense of ownership for the park among the community

34. Sources Cited:
 Artale, Emily and Dobos, Hillary (2015). Community solar presents rewards and risks. Natural Gas and Electricity, 32(4):19-24.
 Benmar, Claudine. (2010). City brings renewable energy to the little guy. Grist. June 5, 2010. http://grist.org/article/2010-06-02-city-brings-renewable-energy-to-the-little-guy/, accessed Feb. 29, 2016.
 Boyle, Godfrey (Ed.). (2012). Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. 12th Edition. Oxford University Press. Oxford, U.K.
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 City of Ellensburg. (2016). Electric. City of Ellensburg. http://www.ci.ellensburg.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=119, accessed Feb. 19, 2016.
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 Department of Energy (2009) Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments. Washington, D.C., United States Department of Energy.
 Duffey-Armstrong, Marilyn and Armstrong, Joe (1979) Community Impediments to Implementation of Solar Energy. United States Department of Energy. Washington, D.C.
 Ellensburg Energy Services Department. (2016). Dunbar, Larry. Director of Energy Services. Information Requested on Feb. 11, 2016.
 Farrell, John (2010) Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities. Minneapolis, New Rules Project.
 Hay, Travis. (2006). Let the sun shine in: Ellensburg solar electric project would be first of its kind in the nation. The Daily Record. Mar. 10, 2006. http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/let-the-sun-shine-inellensburg-solar-
electric-project-would-be/article_664b9ea4-cb46-5576-a8b2-5fb64dd51d55.html, accessed Feb. 12, 2016.
 Himmelman, Jeff. (2012). The secret to solar power. The New York Times. August 9, 2012.
 Johnston, Jackie. (2007). Ellensburg’s bright ideas. The Daily News. March 14, 2007. http://tdn.com/business/ellensburg-s-bright-ideas/article_a7aae1e2-177f-5c9d-b752-0b435db331d3.html, accessed Feb 12, 2016.
 Matarrese, Andy. (2015). Ellensburg tries new deal for solar park rates, maintenance. The Daily Record. June 20, 2015. http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/members/ellensburg-tries-new-deal-for-solar-park-rates-
maintenance/article_0aa0901e-16d1-11e5-96e2-134464479585.html, accessed online 2/14/16.
 Naheen, Sadia, Mohammad Aubail-Bin-Alam, and Debnath, Kumar Biswajit. (2013). Cumulative community solar power plant: possibilities and challenges in Bangladesh. Genius Loci Chapter One 2013. The International
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 Nystedt, Gary. (2012). Ellensburg Community Renewable Park. http://www.slideshare.net/Didgeridiva/ellensburg-community-solar-3-4124, accessed Feb. 29, 2016.
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 Swearingen, Marshall. (2015). Community solar comes of age in the west. High Country News. March 2, 2015. https://www.hcn.org/issues/47.4/community-solar-comes-of-age-in-the-west, accessed Feb 19, 2016.
 Talbot, David and Morgan, Richard E. (1981). Power and Light: Political Strategies for the Solar Transition. The Pilgrim Press. New York, NY.
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 Williams, Neville (2014) Sun Power: How Energy from the Sun is Changing Lives Around the World, Empowering America, and Saving the Planet. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. New York, NY.