Medical Lake receives grant for solar panels

MEDICAL LAKE – The city will receive a grant from the state Department of Commerce to install solar panels.

According to Commerce officials, the city will receive one of 14 grants award to install the panels in public buildings statewide.

The $210,867 grant will help cover the cost to install a 104 kilowatt solar panel generation system at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, officials said.

Other grants awarded to Eastern Washington projects include $188,874 toward installation of a 103 kW system at Palouse High School in Palouse, $75,000 toward a 135kW system at the Silver Lake Water and Sewer District Headquarters and $76,072 toward a 68 kW system at Linwood Elementary School in Spokane.

Officials said the Commerce grants will help public facilities cut emergency costs and reduce pollution.

“Without this help, a small city like ours would not be able to move toward redundant and alternative energy sources for our waste water treatment plant, which is vital to our community,” Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper said. “Once the solar array is in place, we will use the annual energy savings to support maintenance and operational improvements.

“Every dollar counts and these dollars are making a big difference for Medical Lake.”

The projects awarded funding in this round total more than 1.3 megawatts of solar and will produce more than 1.5 million kWh annually — equivalent to powering about 130 homes, officials said.