The Oregon University System vowed to continue with its Solar By Degrees project after hitting a slight speed bump when REDCO, its primary financial backer, filed for bankruptcy in late December.@@http://www.eou.edu/news-press/ous-launches-solar-by-degrees/ AND http://www.sjrnews.com/view/full_story/17361779/article-Wind-energy-firm-declares-bankruptcy?instance=home_news_left@@
Started six years ago by former Gov. Ted Kulongoski@@http://archivedwebsites.sos.state.or.us/Governor_Kulongoski_2011/governor.oregon.gov/index.html@@, the project aims to increase solar and other energy resources on each of the state’s seven public university campuses. The project is scheduled to continue as planned with a new financial backer as soon as possible.
“We just have to put in another developer. We are not too concerned about the future of the project. It will move forward, it just got a little bit delayed,” OUS Assistant Vice Chancellor for Capital Programs Bob Simonton said.@@http://www.ous.edu/dept/capcon@@
The solar panels that will be used will come from SolarWorld, a Hillsboro@@http://www.solarworld-usa.com/about-solarworld/locations/hillsboro-oregon.aspx@@-based solar panel manufacturing company. The OUS decided to use solar panels manufactured in Oregon to help stimulate the state’s solar industry. Oregon has passed many tax credit programs to boost solar manufacturing in the state. Across the country, the industry has struggled lately with many high-profile bankruptcies, something that companies say is due to unfair competition from China.
“We’re committed to this project, which is an OUS project in Oregon, using Oregon technology and Oregon labor,” said Ben Santarris, head of corporate communications and sustainability at SolarWorld.@@http://www.solarworld-usa.com/blog/2011/10/solar-trade-case-china.aspx@@ “The financial commitment borne by REDCO will be transferred to another financial entity. And we plan to carry on with the project for everyone’s benefit.”
According to Simonton, the project has been delayed approximately one month. The OUS has not released names of possible new backers yet, but plans to do so in the upcoming weeks.
Frank Vignola, a professor of physics and director of the University’s Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory, is still hopeful about the project.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Frank+Vignola@@
“It’s a speed bump, but of course there are a lot of speed bumps they are going to encounter,” Vignola said. “They’ve made a lot of progress, and we’ll see something soon.”
Vignola said that solar power is critical to the future of the University, and expects the OUS to continue with the project as soon as possible.
“It’s an important project for Oregon. We have a number of manufacturers and labor that’s ready to work and put it all together,” Simonton said. “There are folks out there who are not willing to let this project die, so we’re moving forward with it.”