The state of Oregon is building the country's first highway solar energy project. The Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin will be the initial project's location. Electricity for the interchange will be provided by a solar installation operated by Portland General Electric. The Tulatin installation is expected to be operational before the end of the year — a bit of a rush, but ODOT wants to make sure it's finished before Dec. 31, when a federal tax credit for solar power will expire.

The solar installation will be a 104 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that will cover 8,000 square feet. The panels will produce 112,000 kilowatt hours each year — 28 percent of the power needed for the interchange. That's not even one percent of the total energy that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) requires on an annual basis. However, ODOT has announced that, in the next year, it will seek proposals for other highway projects that will generate a total of 2 million kilowatt hours annually — enough power to cover about 4.5 percent of the department's needs.

The Tulatin project won't just be good for ODOT's bottom line: the design, materials and installation all came from Oregon-based companies, encouraging the efforts of local solar power companies.

Photo — Melncoly