Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland General Electric rolled out the largest solar project in the Pacific Northwest Tuesday. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

The new array is on top of a warehouse in Northeast Portland. To make it pencil out, PGE formed a new company to run it.

SunWay 2  will rent the roof space off three warehouses and use a new type of solar cell to generate 1.1 megawatts of power. The cells are rolled out in one long sheet, instead of the usual panels installed on metal frames.

Still, as PGE boss Peggy Fowler explains, solar power needs tax incentives and creative financing.

Petty Fowler: “It’s not yet totally cost effective, when you compare it to like wind renewables, or that type of thing, but it’s getting closer all the time.”

Two other solar projects are in the news this week.

A new Sanyo facility is breaking ground in Salem, and there’s an opening ceremony for SolarWorld in  Hillsboro on Friday.