The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) will receive a $149,534 grant to study the feasibility of a “solar and storage microgrid” at the Energy Northwest’s (ENW) Packwood Hydro location.
“We are thankful for the Commerce award to further study the resources,” PUD General Manager David Plotz wrote in an email Friday. “Participation in this grant and these projects are a continuation of our PUD commissioners’ stated intent to identify and increase local energy generation opportunities across the District for the benefit of our ratepayers.”
On Thursday, the Washington state Department of Commerce announced the PUD was one of 14 recipients of grants through the Clean Energy Fund (CEF). In total, the department awarded $8.1 million.
The funded projects range from battery energy storage systems to microgrids, such as the project in Packwood. According to Plotz, the PUD will work with ENW to install solar panels on the tailrace of the hydro system and utility-level battery storage system near the Packwood substation.
“Together, these two projects will improve the resiliency of our east-end services with distributed generation and increased energy storage for emergencies,” Plotz said. “Once the initial studies are completed and feasible we will have to work through interconnection studies and full design; I expect three to four years for the project’s duration.”
According to Plotz, the project will increase grid stability and cool the tailrace water for the benefit of fish, while the battery will provide limited backup power. The grant funding is dependent on the final project agreements and performance-based contracts.
“Commerce is dedicated to the state’s climate commitment goals, and to ensuring that those benefits are experienced across the state for all communities,” Commerce Director Mike Fong said in a statement. “These projects, which are primarily to organizations that haven’t received funding in the past, will result in a cleaner, more resilient and more just energy system while at the same time create construction, operations and maintenance jobs.”
According to the Department of Commerce, the grants will fund the planning and development of new projects and the construction of projects in progress. The grants will also result in new jobs, according to the Commerce Department.
“The project applicants for this round were exciting and support a variety of communities as they prepare for changing climate conditions,” said Energy Division Assistant Director Michael Furze. “Without funding through the CEF, these and other cutting-edge projects would not have occurred.”
