SANDPOINT — In a Tuesday business meeting, county commissioners voted to support an electric cooperative company’s request to run a pilot program at the Hoo Doo substation. 

Inland Power and Light, a Spokane nonprofit utility company, proposed their residential battery storage pilot program to county commissioners back in July, sharing intention to deploy residential battery storage systems in approved service areas to reduce wildfire risk by enhanced grid resilience.  

The item was originally brought forth in a July 22 business meeting, but the decision was ultimately tabled due to commissioners Brian Domke and Ron Korn’s request for additional insight on the program before making an approval.  

IPL’s three-stage pilot program is slated to run through 2037, with its first phase — design— to last until January 2026. The design phase is meant for IPL to engage with applicable community members early throughout the process, using feedback to shape the pilot structure and develop program metrics.  

The second stage includes installing 100-650 Enphase residential battery systems, integrating them with existing home energy infrastructure. For Bonner County, the battery bank location would be determined through public consideration. IPL said that the “most cost-effective location would be within the IPL member’s garage or shop.” The company also said that it anticipates not having ownership or a view into anything past the meter.   

The specifics of the program rely on public input and are not yet determined, including potential fees and homeowners served by the battery system. However, the pilot program aims to store and distribute power to rural areas in the event of a power outage. Commissioner Asia Williams noted that the whole grid wouldn’t be able to hook up to the proposed storage batteries, and that the serviced community will be determined on public feedback. 

The third phase of the pilot would last approximately ten years to test and evaluate battery dispatch strategies, analyze customer satisfaction and behavior and share the findings with regional and national stakeholders.  

It was noted during the business meeting that IPL does not require any funding support, as it already has grants to run the program. IPL is only seeking the county’s “buy in,” according to Williams.  

“I am here to say we don't have to pay to roll this (program) out. This is a grant, and it's part of building a resilient grid, and it (IPL) is really wanting support after they've already received the grant,” said Williams.  

IPL will have two community engagement events for public input and questions. Those events will take place Aug. 20 at 10-11 a.m. and Aug. 25 at 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Blanchard Community Center. For those unable to attend the gatherings, questions can be sent to [email protected].