Portland Gets Solar Infusion

You may not think of frequently damp Portland, Oregon as the best place to install solar panels, but a non-profit organization is now home to the Northwest's largest solar installation.

The Portland Habilitation Center Northwest (PHCNW) has installed an 870 kilowatt PV system using panels from Day4 Energy of Burnaby, British Columbia. The system is more efficient than conventional PV according to Day4 Energypresident George Rubin because of advanced modules and a proprietary interconnect system.

Rubin says that the combination of the company's best performing modules and connection system for linking the modules using polymer film, copper wires and a special alloy are up to 13 percent more efficient than conventional PV featuring copper, tin and silver based connections. The extra efficiency enables the same amount of power to be generated in a smaller footprint.

According to Rubin, this is the second largest installation of the company's PV system that has been in development for 7 years. He said his system is price competitive with top-tier PV competitors.

Portland's Lucky Labrador brew pub is using solar power to heat water used in its beer making process. The brewery created the Solar Flare ale in honor of its installation of a $70,000 solar thermal system.

Portland's weather isn't very different from Germany, one of the world leaders in solar power.