The city of Bend has advanced its goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption at its facilities with the installation of hundreds of solar modules at its Water Filtration Facility, located west of the city, according to a press release.

The 324 base-mounted modules will generate an estimated 190 megawatt-hours of energy annually, saving the city approximately $12,000 per year in energy costs. The project is also expected to lower Bend’s carbon emissions by nearly 180,000 pounds per year over 20 years.

The solar project is part of Bend’s effort to meet its Climate Action Goals, established in 2016. It follows the recently completed conversion of more than 2,000 streetlights to LEDs.

Based on the 2017 baseline period that was used for analysis for the solar project, the electricity cost for the Water Filtration Facility was $346,790, according to facilities director Grant Burke. The approximate $12,000 annual energy cost savings from the solar modules represents 3.5% of the facility’s annual electricity costs.

A grant from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program funded about 25% of the total project cost of $266,000.