$605K Solar and Energy Efficiency Grant

Showcase of R building solar panels from above

The Department of Commerce announced grant awards to five higher education institutions, 27 local governments and four state agencies on March 12, 2014.  These are the first awards under the 2013-2015 Energy Efficiency and Solar Grants program.

Bellevue College was awarded $410,000 for a 83KW solar photo-voltaic array on the roof of the R building and a $195,000 for meter water by building and reporting to the College’s new Building Dashboard, seal gaps in windows and doors at Main and North Campus to prevent leakage of conditioned air, and lighting retrofits at a few of the houses will continue to be used as Bellevue College facilities.  The solar array will be a large addition to the existing 7KW system installed also with a grant and a Student Environmental Sustainability Fund allocation last year.  The new system will produce enough to power about 70% of the building load during a sunny afternoon like today or an estimated 85,737 KwH per year.

These awards come on top of $2 million that was awarded to Bellevue College in the last two grant rounds for energy efficiency for project including campus-wide lighting and water retrofits, HVAC controls and/or equipment replacements or repairs in buildings A,B,E,N, R, S, energy meters for all buildings and the Building Dashboard.

The immediate goal of the Energy Efficiency and Solar Grants program is to stimulate Washington’s economy by creating jobs.  Longer term goals include reducing energy costs at the state’s public higher education institutions, local government facilities and state agencies, and promoting the use of Washington-manufactured solar products, including solar modules and inverters.

Last Updated March 18, 2021