Shine your light on RPRG Solar!

Point Roberts is embracing solar power through an innovative community initiative, RPRG Solar, spearheaded by local residents Shauna Sylvester and Steve Work.

The group’s bustling autumn schedule included a week of dynamic community center workshops, an eye-catching solar awareness campaign at the Marketplace featuring a giant inflatable pig, and a vibrant Solarfest celebration at the firehall.

Thanks to funding from the Washington Department of Commerce’s Climate Commitment Act, matched by community support, RPRG Solar partnered with Cascadia Renewables for an intensive mid-October project.

The collaboration focused on two key objectives: evaluating solar and battery installation possibilities for community buildings, and training local volunteers to conduct residential solar assessments. While Cascadia Renewables finalizes their analysis of community structures, trained volunteers are actively evaluating properties throughout Point Roberts.

These comprehensive assessments provide residents with detailed cost projections and potential savings, allowing them to explore solar options without obligation. The initiative’s strength lies in its collective approach – once homeowners decide to proceed, the group will harness bulk purchasing power to secure competitive rates on installations and battery systems, making sustainable energy both accessible and economically viable.

Steve Work leads a dedicated team of six volunteer assessors. When discussing ideal solar candidates, Work explains, “The best properties for solar would have an area available for installation of panels unshaded in summer and ideally the shoulder seasons. Winter sun won’t do much for anybody here, but equipment costs have dropped so low that depending on your goals it shouldn’t matter, unless you wanted an off-grid operation. More area means more power at peak sun times.”

For homeowners, the process is straightforward. “It would just involve a couple of short conversations, and permission for us to come onsite to take some pictures,” said Work.

The volunteer team, however, faces a more detailed process. “We’re hoping we can get them done in a couple of hours each. We will need to model the site using specialized software tools, and gather the results into a format suitable for inclusion in the RFP (request for proposals) later. If the homeowner wants to be a part of the bulk RFP, the assessment info will give solar power installation contractors the good baseline site data they need to do initial site design and estimation work.”

The program has already attracted over 50 households for free assessments, and RPRG Solar continues accepting applications through their website, www.resilientpointroberts.com. After applying, participants receive an email from Steve at steve@work.renlabs.com. Applicants should monitor their spam folders and whitelist his email address. Those who registered but haven’t received a response are encouraged to reapply.