BUSINESS
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020
Solar array makes Hermiston RV park fi rst of its kind
By KATY NESBITT
FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD
The new Panelview RV
Park near Hermiston is the
fi rst of its kind to provide
solar shade canopy solar
arrays, meaning on a sunny
day more energy could be
produced than a motor-
home can use.
The 147-kilowatt solar
array system will generate
an estimated 226,357 kilo-
watt-hours of renewable
electricity per year, which
is enough to power 27 typ-
ical U.S. homes. Overall,
the solar array will help the
RV park reduce its utility
bill by $19,020 per year.
“We named the park
Panelview RV Park due to
the fact that our guests are
surrounded by solar panels
and the park runs entirely
on renewable energy,” said
Kent Madison, Panelview
RV Park owner
Overseeing construc-
tion is Sunthurst Energy.
Owner Daniel Hale said
his company is an Energy
Trust Trade ally and he
became familiar with the
USDA grant opportunity
when he built arrays for
Wtechlink and the Rees
Ranch.
“From the beginning
it was deemed essential
to add solar panels to this
project,” Hale said. “Per
our research, at time of
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
The Panelview RV Park, just outside of Hermiston, will have 49 sites when it is completed and
generate an estimated 226,357 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year.
fi ling for the grant, Pan-
elView RV Park will be the
fi rst with solar shade cano-
pies with nearly 100% net
energy metering.”
Net energy metering
is a solar incentive that
allows the owner to store
energy in the electric grid.
When solar panels pro-
duce more electricity than
needed, that energy is sent
to the grid in exchange for
credits.
The
USDA
Rural
Energy for America Pro-
gram grant funded $49,428
of the $197,713 total
cost and Energy Trust of
Oregon will contribute
$25,000 in commercial
solar rebates. The remain-
ing balance will be paid for
by the owner, Hale said.
Madison said Panelview
will sell a little more than
half of a megawatt of solar
to Pacifi c Power.
“We wanted to control
our future power costs and
solar does that,” Madison
said.
40th Anniversary Sale!
Panelview RV Park will
have 49 sites when com-
pleted and is the fi rst in the
nation to have a Phage sewer
treatment plant that can con-
trol environmental waste-
water process problems.
Hale said Sunthurst,
established in 2013, has
built solar projects of
every type from ground
mount to canopy and roof-
top and energy storage. His
company is licensed in fi ve
states and has completed
more than 18 megawatts
of solar energy systems.
About 50 percent of their
work is Oregon.
Outside of Umatilla
County, many of their proj-
ects have been in Klam-
ath Falls, Ashland and
Medford.
Sunthurst has installed
arrays at the Oregon Air
National Guard, Pendleton
Fire Station No. 1 and the
Pendleton Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation
District Offi ce.
In all, $8.7 million in
FUZZBALL
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litter & supplies.
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www.swainmotors.com
541-567-2277
80406 Hwy 395 N., Hermiston
Top of the Hill
REAP funding was granted
to Oregon to help 27 farm-
ers, ranchers, and rural
small businesses adopt
renewable energy tech-
nologies, conduct critical
energy audits, and make
pollution and cost-cut-
ting energy effi ciency
improvements.
“Energy
effi ciency
upgrades will help farm-
ers and ranchers lower
costs, cut pollution, and
create jobs — a common-
sense, win-win-win part of
that path,” said Sen. Jeff
Merkley, who serves as
the ranking member on the
Senate Appropriations sub-
committee that oversees
funding for the USDA.
“I’m pleased that these
funds are headed to Ore-
gon, and will keep work-
ing to ensure that people in
every part of our state have
the chance to build better,
more prosperous, healthier
lives.”
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
Please contact Fuzzball animal rescue via Facebook or our
website www.fuzzballrescue.com to donate items. If you would like to make a monetary
donation, please mail check to Fuzzball Animal Rescue PO BOX 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
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