September 11, 2019 10:15 a.m.
The Glide Fire Station has gone solar.
A release from the Glide Rural Fire Protection District said they are the recipient of one of Pacific Power’s Blue Sky 2018 funding awards. The district was able to install a 69.125 kW system that is expected to exceed the station’s power needs during the summer and provide up to 33% of the station’s power needs during the winter. The release said any power the station does not use feeds into Pacific Power’s electrical grid through a net-metering system.

No taxpayer money was used to purchase or install the solar panel and inverter system. The entire cost of $165,080 was paid for by the support of Pacific Power’s Blue Sky participants and by Energy Trust of Oregon.
In addition to the grant-funded solar panels and inverter system, the district invested $40,000 in a 20kWh battery backup system to power essential items during an extended electrical outage. The release said this is part of Glide Fire’s plans to provide emergency services during a catastrophic event when the electrical grid is down and the station’s propane generator would run out of fuel. This battery cost will be recouped by reduced monthly electrical bills over the next 6 years. After that, the cost savings can be used to fund other district expenses.
The Glide project is one of only 12 community-based renewable energy projects funded by the Blue Sky Program that will become a reality this year. Beth Werner, business manager for Glide Fire said the project has “been a wonderful addition to our community’s station”. She said Glide Fire is grateful to the Blue Sky Block participants for the funding that will allow them to be more cost efficient and better prepared for a disaster.
For more information go to www.glidefire.org and click on the Solar Project 2019.
A dedication and ribbon cutting for the solar project will be held October 1st at 11:00 a.m. The Glide Fire Station is on North Umpqua Highway in Glide.