Pea Patch campus awarded $98,675 to explore a solar microgrid from WA Dept. of Commerce

||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for PEA PATCH PROJECT |||

The Pea Patch Project is pleased to announce that the Orcas Island Food Bank and Orcas Community Resource Center were awarded a community decarbonization grant of $98,675 from WA Department of Commerce to explore development of a solar + battery smart micro-grid that would provide most of the power necessary to run their new buildings planned for that site.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring renewable energy savings to our community campus while reducing new demand for power from OPALCO,” said Lisa Steckley, Pea Patch Steering Committee Member and Resource Center Board Member.

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced $72.6 million for 71 grants for community clean energy projects across Washington that advance environmental justice and equity. The funding will benefit communities in 24 of Washington’s 39 counties through solar projects, hydrogen fueling, electricity microgrids and more. Funded by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, these clean energy grants are part of a more than $117 million opportunity,
which included $7.5 million for a tribal clean energy fund announced in May.

“This CCA funding is putting people to work on projects in communities most harmed by climate change and ultimately helping us provide cleaner air to all our children,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee. “The response to these grant programs is an exciting sign of how eager businesses and organizations are to design and build clean energy and climate resilient assets for their communities.”

This project will involve installing solar panels on the new buildings for the Food Bank, the Resource Center and OPAL housing. The goal of the smart microgrid will be to generate and distribute solar energy to offset the energy needs of the site, ensuring resiliency for critical loads and reliability for the entire campus. The feasibility study will include battery storage to provide power in times of power disruption.

The Pea Patch Project team has selected Säzän Group as the engineering consultant to support all phases of the project, from project management planning and kick-off workshop facilitation to final feasibility study report development and presentation. Working with the Pea Patch Project team, Säzän will be responsible for collecting information, site assessments, conducting technical analysis, modeling, cost estimates, funding evaluation, stakeholder engagement, partnership facilitation, report development, and presentation of key findings and recommendations.

Stay tuned for more information as this exciting new project kicks off later in 2024.

The Pea Patch Project, a collaboration of three local non-profit organizations providing essential services to Orcas Island, is building a community campus on undeveloped land at Pea Patch Lane on the north end of Eastsound. The collaboration will provide a permanent home and increased capacity for food insecurity services including storage for emergency community food supplies; social services to help our community thrive and achieve equitable well-being; and 20 new rental housing units to meet the unmet need for the lowest income households. Site work is expected to begin in 2025.

More information about Clean Energy Grant Programs is available online. EPIC designs, develops, and implements initiatives that enable communities to be part of the clean energy transition.