Community Solar Expansion Program

Featured Projects

Case Studies

Vancouver Housing Authority Laurel Manor

Columbia Non-Profit Housing (CNPH) was established in 1981 as a nonprofit housing corporation to meet the need for affordable housing in Clark County, WA. Specializing in housing low-income older adults and persons with special needs, CNPH owns and operates 14 properties with 478 units in total. Laurel Manor, their largest and most recent project, is a 82-unit apartment building designed to meet the needs and reflect the values of its 62+ senior community.

In June 2023, the WSU Energy Program approved the certification of a 132 kWdc solar system on Laurel Manor. The photovoltaic system has reduced the overall operating costs of the low-income building, creating additional funding for on-site services and activities promoting resident health and well-being

[Photos by Heather Vo]

Community Solar East

Clark Public Utilities is a nonprofit, customer-owned utility providing electric service to more than 235,000 customers and water to more than 40,000 homes and business in Clark County. In collaboration with the Port of Camas-Washougal, Clark County Public Utilities constructed the 799 kWdc Community Solar East Project across five Port of Camas-Washougal building rooftops in 2023. The 799 kWdc solar array sits in the Port of Camas Washougal to provide clean energy to Clark County.

A 199 kWdc portion of the Community Solar East project is allocated to benefit low-income community members in Clark County, with the value of that dedicated output applied annually to Operation Warm Heart, a donation-funded energy assistance program for utility customers in financial crisis. Using this low-income benefit model, the WSU Energy Program certified a portion of the array (199 kWdc) in October 2024.

The solar array atop a building at the Port of Camas Washougal, WA.
[Photo courtesy of Clark County PUD]

Hifumi En

Spokane Housing Authority (SHA) is a public entity that provides and promotes quality affordable housing options across 6 Eastern Washington counties. The Hifumi En Apartments were constructed in 1972 to serve Spokane’s low-income senior and disabled renters. The building was redeveloped to double the number of apartments to 41 and become energy efficient.

As part of advancing the site’s clean energy goals, SHA installed rooftop solar panels to generate power to further reduce electric bills at the property. The 44 kWdc system was approved for precertification by the WSU Energy Program. The solar system received significant financial support from the WSU Community Solar Expansion Program. The reduced electricity expense lets SHA allocate this cost savings to tenant services and free electric vehicle charging.