The Community Solar III project broke ground June 12 and began generating solar power to the grid in late January. The battery storage portion of the project is nearing completion and is expected to be energized in mid-March. 

Whitefish identified an acre near the wastewater treatment plant as a good location for a solar farm and in 2022, entered into an agreement with the Flathead Electric Co-op for two rows of seven arrays of solar panels.   

The city dedicated 1 acre of land for this project, and all the upfront capital costs and maintenance are Flathead Electric’s responsibility. Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman said the city has set aside 4.5 acres of land near the wastewater plant to be used as a potential solar area. 

Community Solar III consists of 448 solar panels located on Monegan Road that deliver locally produced power to participating members.

A total of 128 members elected to participate in the program by purchasing the generation output of individual panels. Members are purchasing the energy produced by a panel, not the panel itself. 

Community Solar III was made possible through grant funding from the Rural Energy for America Program and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

Seventy-seven panels are dedicated to offsetting energy usage for low-income families within the Cooperative’s service territory. This benefit is made possible through a $50,000 grant from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and a $5,000 donation from YeTI Photovoltaic, Inc., a Whitefish-based nonprofit organization.

"The Co-op relies primarily on federal hydropower obtained through the Bonneville Power Administration, which results in our area’s already 97% carbon-free power mix,” said Katie Pfennigs, FEC community relations manager. “While the project does not materially change the carbon footprint of Whitefish or of those who buy a share in the project, it does offer a unique opportunity for Co-op members to offset their electricity purchases with locally generated power.” 

In 2015, Flathead Electric developed the area’s first community solar project, a ground-mounted system located on Whitefish Stage Road with a capacity of 86 kW. A second project, a rooftop-mounted system with a capacity of 58 kW, located just west of the Flathead Electric main office in Kalispell followed in 2018. 

For more information on the project, visit flatheadelectric.com/about-my-co-op/how-we-provide-power/community-solar/. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected].

This story is part of the Whitefish’s coverage of community news affecting the Whitefish area. Independent local journalism depends on readers who believe their community deserves strong reporting. If you value this kind of reporting, please support it at whitefishpilot.com/support.