The Greenbank Farm solar project may finally see completion.
The Port of Coupeville approved an agreement this month for Greenbank Community Solar LLC, a Mount Vernon based company, to lease the three remaining plots at the farm.
Per the five-year agreement, Greenbank Solar will raise $250,000 from up to three dozen local participants.
Kelly Keilwitz from Whidbey Sun & Wind designed and will install the solar panels.
Kevin Maas from Greenbank Solar LLC presented two options to the port.
Option one includes annual lease payments of $1,600, gifting roughly $6,000 in electricity annually directly to the farm, completion of a livestock-grade fence around the perimeter of the solar array and a new information kiosk.
Option two consists of the port and Greenbank Solar signing a power-purchase agreement and opens up the option to apply for a USDA grant, which would fund an electric car charging station among other things.
This agreement involves the port purchasing power at an 80 percent discount for the five-year agreement, a free energy audit of Barn A, and up to $10,000 in energy efficient product upgrades like LED lighting.
Both options end with Greenbank Solar gifting the entire system back to the port or transferring it for $1.
Mass and Keilwitz stressed the importance of getting the project going due to federal incentive deadlines.
“If we don’t do this year, we lose 20 percent of the incentive, and it probably won’t happen,” Maas said.
At the April 8 meeting, the commissioners debated over which option would be best, saying they were both good.
“I think it’s a win-win,” said new Commissioner John Carr.
Commissioners unanimously approved the basic agreement and will look at a power purchase agreement.
That agreement will be on the May agenda for consideration, said Executive Director David Day.
Greenbank Farm has six 1/6 acre lots dedicated to community solar.
The port charges $200 per lot, per year and also receives 1 percent of the leasees’ gross energy sales as well as 1 percent of the state and federal incentives they receive.
Of the six lots, only three of them are currently operational.
Three of the lots were leased by Newport Partners, but that lease was terminated at the end of 2014.
Maas said the plan is to have the remaining plots operational by this summer.
