Ameresco solar + storage project meets 100% of Oregon wastewater site’s energy needs

A public utility in Oregon just finished a solar-plus-battery project that covers all the electricity needs of its main office. The Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority, which handles wastewater treatment, installed a 39.4-kilowatt solar array paired with a battery storage system (184 kilowatt-hours) that can keep essential operations running during power outages. The $1 million project was built by energy company Ameresco and funded partly by an $870,870 grant from the Oregon Department of Energy's Community Renewable Energy Program, along with support from Energy Trust of Oregon.

This is the first phase of a larger plan. Two more solar installations are expected to start construction before the end of the year: a larger 900-kilowatt ground-mounted solar system at the wastewater treatment plant itself, and a 400-kilowatt floating solar system placed on water at the facility's natural treatment area.

For homeowners, this isn't a project you can replicate at this scale, but it points to a trend worth knowing about: public agencies are increasingly pairing solar panels with battery storage to keep critical operations running when the grid goes down, not just to save on utility bills. If you're considering solar with battery backup for your own home, this kind of project shows how the combination works in practice — generating enough power to offset use entirely, while the battery provides backup during outages. Funding for projects like this often comes through state energy offices, so checking what Oregon, or your own state, offers for renewable energy incentives may be worthwhile if you're weighing a similar upgrade.