Companies showcase incentive-enabled solar project

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On the same day that the Oregon State Legislature met to vote on reform for the Business Energy Tax Credit, a group of Oregon companies convened to showcase a project made possible by the program.

The project, a 116 kilowatt roof array, was installed at Iwasaki Bros Inc., a nursery in Hillsboro. Jim Iwasaki, owner and general manager of the nursery, stated that the project wouldn't have penciled out without incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon, a grant from the USDA, and Business Energy Tax Credits from the Oregon Department of Energy. The array is expected to provide 23 percent of the nursery's considerable energy needs.

Howard Lamb, founder of Sunergy Systems, the firm that designed and installed the project, talked about the influence of Oregon's incentives on his business. Based in Seattle, Sunergy does the majority of their commercial projects in Oregon. "Incentive programs in Oregon have allowed us to tap into larger projects," he said. "Larger projects cost less per watt, which helps with economies of scale."

Bob Beisner, managing director of SolarWorld Industries America, the provider of the panels in the Iwasaki project, commented on the importance of Oregon's BETC. "We know solar energy can't be subsidized forever. In the meantime, incentives like the BETCs let us operate on a scale that's internationally competitive."