Skagit Valley Food Co-op's Solar Panels

When the Skagit Valley Food Co-op embarked on its C•SQUARE project, to convert the Community Services Building we purchased in 2013 into a restaurant and food marketplace, renewable energy was on the list of must-haves: solar panels were drawn into the plan at a very early stage.

As a result, the Co-op partnered with local company Fire Mountain Solar to install an Itek solar system on the C•SQUARE Building roof. The solar panel system was installed in April 2016, about five months before C•SQUARE and Third Street Café opened for business.

Fire Mountain Solar estimates that 1 KW of solar generates 910 KWH/year, and that our system generates approximately 16,080 KWH of power a year, which is enough to power three residential homes for an entire year.

System Specs:
• 17.67 KW Itek Solar System (made in Washington)
• 62 Itek Energy 285 watt panels
• 1 Itek Solectria PVI 5200TL String Inverter
• 2 Itek Solectria PVI 6600TL String Inverter

While the C•SQUARE Building is now closed to the public, our solar system is running strong and providing renewable power to the kitchen operations still taking place. The estimated electric bill savings for one year is over $1,500, and the system is well on its way to paying for itself.