Solar power comes to REI outdoor stores

[jpak]

http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/12/23/Solar-power-comes-to-REI-outdoor-stores-Clackamas-Tualatin-and-Hillsboro-stores-equipped-with-solar-

he outdoor gear and clothing chain REI has added solar arrays to three of its Portland-area stores. REI officials expect the photovoltaic panels to produce up to 17 percent of the energy the stores use.

REI added solar panels to the roofs of its stores in Tualatin, Hillsboro and Clackamas. The Tualatin arrays produce 56 kilowatts of electricity, with the Hillsboro and Clackamas arrays creating 34 and 26 kilowatts, respectively.

Sharon Im-Lee, REI’s energy manager, said the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit made it feasible to retrofit existing stores with the panels. “It’s the best tax credit in the country,” Im-Lee said. “We feel they’ve made a real decision to bring solar to Oregon.”

That’s exactly what lawmakers intended when they boosted the energy credit in January 2007, said state Energy Department spokesman Lou Torres. “The Legislature increased the credit for renewable energy from 35 (percent) to 50 percent to really try to promote and further the growth of renewable energy in the state,” he said.

<more>