Saving Grace Goes Solar

Installing a 43.2 kilo-watt solar electric system is a win-win for the animals and for the environment. As a nonprofit, Saving Grace is always looking for ways to improve care for our pets and save money. The system is estimated to produce 45% of the shelter's electricity needs and save $5,000 a year! The more we save on power bills, the more we can spend on the animals!

The $139,000 project was made possible with funding support from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program customers.  Design, construction and installation of the project was done by Newcastle Solar, based in Myrtle Creek, and went online with Pacific Power on June 21, 2018.

Throughout the lifetime of the equipment, solar PV will allow Saving Grace to better absorb cost increases and continue to improve the quality of care for the animals who look to us for their very futures. It also allows us to conserve energy and reduce Saving Grace’s carbon footprint as a responsible member of the greater community and protect the wider environment.

Solar works really well here in Douglas County. Southern Oregon produces solar energy all year long, getting most of its solar energy between May and September during the long, cloudless days. When net metered with Pacific Power, any extra solar electricity is "saved" as credits to be used later when needed, such as in the winter. To see real-time and historical production, click here. 

The Blue Sky program is a voluntary renewable energy program that Pacific Power offers its customers. More than 1,100 customers in Roseburg choose to support renewable energy through Blue Sky. These customers have chosen to show their commitment to renewable energy by contributing a little extra through their Pacific Power bill each month. The Saving Grace solar electric project is a great example of Blue Sky dollars at work in our community! To learn more about becoming a Blue Sky customer to support future projects, see https://www.pacificpower.net/env/bsre.html.  

Just imagine $5000 to spay or neuter 100 more cats in this community – each and every year! In celebration, we are naming all our orange kittens names related to the sun. Ravi (Hindu god of the sun), Hyperion and Helios (Titan gods of light and the sun) are three who have already received their second chance for love through adoption. That’s what solar is bringing to Saving Grace!