Hillsboro, Ore. — Hillsboro’s new Civic Center will be the first municipal headquarters building in Oregon to acquire enough renewable electric power to meet all its needs.

The structure will be capped by solar panels, producing electricity from the sun. Portland General Electric (PGE) and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) have donated the 3,150 watt solar array. The City of Hillsboro will purchase the balance of the center’s power from PGE’s Clean Wind program.

“Hillsboro has demonstrated environmental leadership that goes above and beyond even the high standards we expect in Oregon,” said Peggy Fowler, PGE’s CEO and president. “Renewable power will be a cornerstone of the Civic Center’s official designation as a sustainable building.”

The city hopes to be awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certificate by the U.S. Green Building Council, which would also make the structure the first “LEED Gold” city hall in the country. The council makes the award only to those structures that meet the highest standards of low environmental impact and energy efficiency. Commercial tenants of the building have also agreed to buy PGE green power.

PGE covered most of the cost of the 3,150 watt solar array on the center’s roof. BEF also contributed to the cost and managed the design and installation of the solar power system.

PGE selected the Hillsboro Civic Center as the site for a sun power project because of the city’s commitment to sustainable development and the utility’s strong ties to Washington County. PGE is also the lead sponsor of the center’s grand opening celebration July 16.

“PGE is one of the companies that consistently supports our community and this is one more example of its stewardship.” said Mayor Tom Hughes. “We also thank BEF and the project’s other sponsors for supporting renewable power here and throughout our region.” He noted that beyond housing the city’s offices, the complex will serve as an educational tool, demonstrating to the public the benefits of environmentally friendly design and renewable power.

The solar system has 18 panels, each six feet tall by 33 inches wide. It is mounted for maximum exposure to the sun.

PGE’s funding for the Hillsboro project came from commercial and industrial customers who use one of three renewable power options.

Large commercial customers, like the City of Hillsboro, have the option of buying Clean Wind in varying amounts to meet their needs. Clean Wind’s small and medium-size business customers, and residential customers, pay a fixed monthly fee for 200 kilowatt-hours of wind power from the Pacific Northwest and help fund other renewable projects. including solar panels. Green Sourcesm customers buy renewable power equal to 100 percent of their consumption from wind, geothermal and low-impact hydropower sources. Healthy Habitatsm has the same product mix as Green Source, but includes a donation to a Nature Conservancy program that improves threatened salmon habitat. Details can be found at www.PortlandGeneral.com/renewables.

BEF generated its share of the funding through the sale of its Green Tag products. As a nonprofit organization, BEF reinvests its net revenue into a variety renewable power and watershed restoration projects around the Northwest. See
www.B-E-F.org/renewables.

Additional funding was provided by an Energy Trust of Oregon rebate and through a Business Energy Tax Credit from the Oregon Department of Energy. The solar panels were installed by Dynalectric Oregon, a leading provider of mechanical and electrical construction and facilities services in the Portland metropolitan area.

About PGE
Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, is a fully integrated electric utility that serves more than 765,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. The company supports the community through a variety of philanthropic, volunteer and environmental stewardship efforts. Visit PGE on the Web at www.PortlandGeneral.com.

About BEF
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. Created by regional environmental groups and the Bonneville Power Administration, the Foundation operates collaboratively with, but independent of, both.


* Customers will not have electricity from a specific renewable generation facility delivered directly to their homes or businesses. Electricity from all sources is blended into the Western power system. However, each customer is assured production of the amount they purchase.