WHITEFISH — 448 solar panels stand tall off Monegan Road in Whitefish.
Flathead Electric and the City of Whitefish unveiled a 448-panel community solar project Wednesday off Monegan Road. Here's how it works.
Each panel generates energy owned by Flathead Electric Cooperative members.
“And really what you have here is kind of a community garden of solar panels,” said Flathead Electric Cooperative Community Relations Manager Katie Pfennigs.
“The benefit is that it allows people to participate in generating solar energy even if they really don’t have the ideal opportunity or spot to put solar in their own home or business," added Pfennigs.
Pfennigs said each panel costs $700 to purchase.
She said the panels will save money on electricity bills for users depending on how much energy they consume.
“The members who purchased the output of these panels might see anywhere from $30 to $60 a year in energy savings based on the output from one of the panels purchased here,” said Pfennigs.
The project was funded thanks to more than $500,000 in grant money from the Rural Energy Program for America and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The City of Whitefish also donated the land for the solar panel project.
“Community solar project is really a great way to give access to solar power to residents and business owners without bearing the expense and the land burden of installing them themselves,” said City of Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman.
Pfennigs said a battery storage unit on site helps Flathead Electric store solar energy for future use.
“What that allows the Coop to do is store the energy that is generated when the sun is shining and then to utilize that energy to offset our peak times,” said Pfennigs.
More information about the community solar project can be found here.
