Donor Interested in Funding Community Solar Installation

MOSCOW – Moscow is a step closer to locating a community solar installation on the roof of the new City Shop building after an anonymous donor expressed interest in funding it, the Moscow Sustainable Environment Commission was told at its regular meeting Tuesday.

Community solar programs grant residents access to a shared solar farm. They receive credits on electricity bills for the clean energy produced. Participants typically subscribe through their energy utility, but Moscow likely would sell panels to individuals, said Kelli Cooper, the city’s sustainability programs coordinator and staff liaison to the commission.

She plans to coordinate with Avista energy utility company on next steps for the project, while Commissioner Al Poplawsky will promote public information/education. A second installation might be located at the Moscow Police Department, Cooper said. 

In other business, the board:

* Reelected Steve McGeehan as chair, elected Poplawsky as vice chair, welcomed City Council member Evan Holmes as 2026 liaison to the commission, said goodbye to retiring Commissioner Tina Hilding, and heard from John Slagboom, a local resident interested in serving on the board; his education, certifications and experience include project management in sustainability, energy and water resources. 

* Discussed what information and free materials to make available at the commission’s table at the April 4 Energy Efficiency and Electrification Fair at the Latah County Fairgrounds. Find more information at https://cclpalouse.org/energy-efficiency-and-electrification-fair/.

* Received a brief PowerPoint refresher on wastewater treatment and recycling at the Water Reclamation Facility from Evan Timar, city public utility manager – sewer. A virtual tour is available at https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/453/WRF-Virtual-Tour.

Timar said the plant received a new permit this month from the state Department of Environmental Quality; its three Archimedes-screw pumps are due for replacement after 25 years of an anticipated 20-year lifespan; and about 20 percent of the treated wastewater is reclaimed – mostly by the University of Idaho, which uses it for 80 to 85 percent of campus irrigation.

An upgrade for better cooling of the treated water discharged into Paradise Creek is on the horizon, Timar said. The most likely solutions, he said, would be: applying the water to land to cool; storing it until it cools; or building expensive chiller or heat-exchange systems.

The next meeting of the Sustainable Environment Commission will be Feb. 17.