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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
Description: In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2620. The law mandates any major infrastructure project over $5 million, or any renovation which exceeds 50% of the current building’s value, to devote 1.5% of its entire budget to “Green Energy Technology” (GET). Since 2014, more than 50 of these statewide projects have been for schools, where solar panels are overwhelmingly the GET of choice.
Reports submitted to the Oregon Department of Energy show that two-thirds of school projects are outfitted with solar panels that will not break even on their investment for the next 50 years. The industry-accepted break-even limit is 25 years, assuming they last t...