We’re catching some rays- in a very real way, at EEC Forest Stewardship. For a decade now, the vision of green power has been in the planning, and at last, a system is built. Northwest Electric and Solar constructed the large array in the perfect location for sun activity- as pictured above, this sun trap, south facing, highest point on the landscape, was clocking 14.9kW at the time of this photo in late October, 2026. That’s about the equivalent of a home generator’s capacity. This array is larger than our current capacity, so we can still get enough on cloudy days to cover our load. Since we’re tied into the grid, our extra production goes back to the grid, and we get credited for our production to lower our energy costs, or negate them all together. This scale will also accommodate future demand, as prices rise and infrastructure upgrades. Leafhopper Farm could one day power an autoclave for mushroom production, or passive heat to a scaled up commercial meal worm operation. Possibilities are endless with a green energy source like this.
Now, there was a lot of mining that went into this boost to the green energy wash. In the short term, solar panels are built from mined materials and rare earth. Long term, they will continue to produce energy cleanly once in use. No more carbon will be burned for the next 20 years. That’s the limited warranty, the panels will harvest for the rest of my lifetime; by then, we’ll see where the world is with climate change and technology. The science is in on solar panels being a successful way to curb carbon consumption and CO2 release. I’m making enough power with this system to also offset some of my neighbor’s needs, thus extending the impact of clean energy in my neighborhood. At the same time, solar panel demand far outpaces production in the US, where these panels are made, in Washington State, in Bellingham. That’s a big part of why I went with Northwest Electric and Solar; they source their materials in state, right up the road. It’s not perfect, I’m sure most of the parts are coming down from Canada, where mining laws are much more lenient and international Canadian owned and run mines are importing the minerals to supply the manufacturers up north. I’m also aware that the technology my chosen installer uses is TESLA, but it’s the best technology out there today, hands down.
Our first task was to dig and set the footings, because this system is ground mounted. I opted for this setup because our current infrastructure is not capable of carrying the panels safely, and the scale I was looking for required a lot of space, and we have that in a prime spot, so I took advantage of my fabulous south facing top field for instillation. The dig crew carved out 24 footings, each one 6′ down. After years of drought, the layers of sediment were dry for most of the dig- only one low spot was damp at the bottom, the rest was quite dry and easy to dig. We did encounter 3 wheelbarrow sized glacial erratic boulders, but quickly lined them up along the road as a buffer to the solar system on the turn of the driveway. I love featuring glacial boulders where I can to remind us all of what shaped this ridge and the valley below. Most of the dig went smoothly, and a slight hiccups in measurement communication did nothing to hinder the overall build.
After the digger left on Sunday evening, I had a better comprehension of how big this project would be, at least the ground layout. It would be on Monday, that construction would begin on the main aluminum frame to hold the panels in each of two arrays. The team showed up predawn, at 7am to start constructing the scaffolding to hold up the structure. For two days the crew hammered, measured, drilled, and set framing. They worked efficiently, diligently, and to the specs with familiar ease. I appreciated the talent and smart planning the electricians put into construction. Though much of the technical jabber was far beyond my understanding, the crew happily explained things as they went, checking in with me on progress and planning as they went. I was welcomed on site, and happily made lunch each day for everyone. This important investment means a lot to me, and the farm, so being present to learn, document, and be available to the work crew as support ensured my own understanding of the project, face to face relationship with my amazing team, and kept me up to date on progress. Overall the instillation went quite smoothly, and my on site team was wonderful to work with.
After the first few days of on site work, I began to see the full width and breadth of this project, and marveled at what was going to be accomplished. This system would be much larger than my original concept of a solar panel setup from a decade ago. I had pushed for the scale up, to cover much of the properties future needs in one package. I will put hot water solar and a few electrical panels on the pole barn when that upgrade comes, but having a grid connected long term system with aggregation to both meters became the smart design for future planning. I can always add more, and go off grid with a proper battery system. Today, it’s about keeping my overall electrical costs down while returning excess to the grid. The system will produce enough power, even in winter to keep up with the property’s needs and a little extra to give back. We do get credited for the extra power, in case we draw more in winter then we produce. But with the scale of this design we should have what we need during daylight hours.
Why not batteries? The technology needs to get better. There will be storage built in when the designs are optimal, I still see room for great improvement before batteries become a household staple- especially in recycling once they age out. This brings us back to the green wash that comes with solar idealism. Manufacturing these renewable energy sources still costs us environmentally, and the panels will leech, very minuscule amounts, of input materials from the panels themselves, into the soil here. This build is all inputs from outside the land- not holistic at all, but the science still supports this alternative energy in the long run, and I’m already seeing my returns. So much energy comes from the sun, it makes all life on earth grown and thrive. If we turn to this natural source of power, along with wind, we can make a huge difference on our block, one source at a time. As the system continues it’s collecting, I’ll have firm figures to share regarding the payout on this long term investment in something we’re sure to need.
The first set of panels came at the end of week 1. Seeing them mounted gave me such joy. This is the future, and more home owners should be looking into taking this investment and upgrade seriously. As I watched the shade spot grow behind the array, I wondered what king of plantings I’d be experimenting with to replace the pasture in this location. Sheep will still be able to graze around the arrays, but the shade would demand a shift form full sun to full shade. Luckily, a lot of native Pacific Northwest plants prefer full shade, so filling in the soil with proper cover crop will not be hard. I might even use the structure to form shelter- and rain catchment for sure. Because the arrays are neighboring the pillow tank, runoff can be caught and stored in the tank for future irrigation down slope. I will first have to test the runoff, to make sure it’s safe to use- this is the thinking we often forget with petroleum products and heavy metals often used in solar panel production. Unless the panel breaks open, this should not be an issue.
There is still a lot of learning to come. After this new build settles in, I’ll have a lot of fun figuring out best use of the space, optimal growing, and water directing. Luckily, the rain is about the arrive, and I’ll have many months through 2026 to learn what comes next. So much gratitude to my team of electricians and apprentices who worked for 2 1/2 weeks to complete this instillation. Gratitude to the science and intention moving us closer to a better, cleaner energy use culture and way from fossil fuels. Special thanks to the sun, that life giving energy source that has raised countless generations of life on this earth while keeping enough distance not to cook us- yet. An so much good solar power to this home, business, and surrounding neighbors.
EEC Forest Stewardship 