Array of Sunshine

This past week, the administrative head quarters building for North Cascades National Park got a bit of a green face-lift.  Solar Panels!  It was a pleasure to see the project be completed in such a timely manner, thanks to Whidbey Sun & Wind, out of Coupeville, WA. 



The company, celebrating it's 10th year in business, is licensed as both a general and electrical contractor.  Not only do they do great work, they are fun to be around! 

The building at 810 State Route 20 in Sedro-Wooley, WA is leased by the Mount Baker Ranger District of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest with subleases to North Cascades National Park, U.S. Geological Survey, North Cascades Institute and Discover Your Northwest. 

Puget Sound Energy estimates that the 32.2kW solar photovoltaic system will reduce the building's power costs up to 40% and provide about 14% of its power.  With a 35 year lifespan, we're talking significant savings.

Wait...solar in the Pacific Northwest? There's no sunshine up there, just rain clouds and flannel, right?


True, Northwestern Washington does have its fair share of cloudy and overcast days each year.  However, today's Solar array technology paired with efficient PV inverters does not require intense, direct sunlight to capture the sun's energy and convert it to electricity.  In fact, the moderate year round temperatures in the Skagit Valley will wreak much less havoc on the array compared to the fluctuations (freeze-thaw) that occur in higher elevations and actually improve efficiency of the system.  Not only that, they're tough, too. 

"Yeah, they're pretty bomb-proof," says Byron, one of Whidbey Sun & Wind's solar panel installation experts.

"They're really built to withstand impact from stuff like, you know, hail and birds."

Sara Hammond, Sustainable Energy Manager at Point Reyes National Seashore, explains that “higher temperatures increase electrical resistance, which lowers the percentage of power output. This effect is known as Temperature Coefficient of Power. Output begins dropping at 20°C (68°F)."

That said, Sedro-Woolley is in a similar boat.  Cool temps year round mixed with mainly overcast (only 71 days per year of sunshine in Seattle) may just be the perfect recipe for efficient solar panel technology.

Hopefully, the array will attract the attention of visitors to the Park more than our avion friends, but if we have to take out a few pigeons in the process, that's the breaks. 

The south aspect of the building not only is home to the new array but is also the main entrance for visitors. 



Front desk staff will undoubtedly receive questions about the improvement and our staff and volunteers are ready to answer them.