Construction will start on Fleet Development’s 5-acre community solar power farm on Green Hill, just south of downtown Wallowa in the summer of 2020. The 860 KW power-generating facility includes about 2,700 solar panels that will be mounted on rotating platforms to follow the sun through the day. Ryan Sheehy, Fleet’s CEO, is working with local landscapers to design plantings that will screen the panels from view,” he said. They chose the Green Hill site in Wallowa because it was convenient to a Pacific Power substation, where the energy from the solar panels will flow into the grid.

Fleet Development’s solar facility will produce power for low-income multi-family housing units in Wallowa County and beyond through Community Solar power subscriptions. No housing will be built on Green Hill. “The power from these panels will go to tenants in multifamily housing maybe in Enterprise or somewhere else.” Sheehy said. “Tenants can opt into solar power on their electric bill. It doesn’t mean the energy in their wires will come from this facility, but it very likely will.” While the multi-family units won’t be directly plugged into rooftop solar panels, residents can sign up for solar power on their Pacific Power electric bill, Sheehy noted. Fleet Development’s lease on the Green Hill property may last for up to 20 years.

Others in the project include Wallowa Resources, Enterprise Electric, and a local landscaping firm yet to be determined. “We want to support local business, Sheehy said.