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Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Portland General Electric CEO Peggy Fowler install the first solar panel last month. Picture courtesy of OregonDOT |
Oregon—Solar panels about the length of two football fields are generating light to illuminate a busy intersection north of Portland in the country’s first solar project on a major freeway. At the intersection of interstates 5 and 205, nearly 600 panels installed last month will help light the thoroughfare in the rainy Northwest. The electricity generated by the panels, which feeds into Portland General Electric’s grid, accounts for about 30 percent of the energy needed to light the interchange. The project, which is expected to be online by the end of the year, is estimated to cost $1.3 million. — Hilary Solan
