120 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the Nature Conservancy office is the largest system in western Oregon. The 4 kilowatt system will produce enough power to run an average home's non-heating or hot water usage.

Funded by a grant from the PGE-Enron Foundation, the project will test the feasibility of small-scale grid-connected photovoltaic systems in commercial applications. The system was installed by Mr. Sun Solar assisted by Solar Assist of Eugene and is mounted flat on a structural frame mounted above the roof.

lthough 30 degrees is the best year round mounting angle for Oregon, mounting collectors flat only decreases the efficiency by 8% and is cheaper to install. With the money saved by using cheaper horizontal structure, more solar modules were installed whose output exceeded the loss due to the angle.

System Details


4 Kw system
Funding: PGE Enron
Solar Installer: Mr. Sun Solar and
Solar Assist of Eugene