The sun shone on workers as they completed installation of the largest array of solar panels on a capitol building in the United States on January 5, 2005.

The Washington state Capitol Solar Energy Demonstration Project has placed 144 solar panels atop the fifth floor roof of the Legislative Building.

The panels, which use photovoltaic solar cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity, will generate about 20,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year – enough to light the capitol dome and lantern every night of the year.

General Administration (GA) teamed up with Puget Sound Energy, BP (formerly British Petroleum) and Chelan Public Utility District 1 on the project.

Taxpayers incurred almost no costs for the project. BP donated the solar panels, Puget Sound Energy contributed money to help pay for the installation and the Chelan utility district is paying for an educational kiosk to be placed inside the Capitol Building.

GA Director Rob Fukai, a former energy company executive, says the project demonstrates the viability of renewable energy and the agency’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

He also praised the project team for finding a way to keep the futuristic-looking panels from marring the exterior beauty of the historic building. The 63-inch tall by 31-inch wide panels cannot be seen from the ground or nearby buildings because they are only about a foot high and positioned nearly parallel to the roof. The project meets federal standards for historic preservation.

The panels won’t directly supply electricity to any lights at the Capitol. Instead, the solar-generated energy will be fed into the power grid. The power produced by the solar array offsets the electricity purchased to run the lights in the dome and lantern.

McKinstry Company, a leading engineering, mechanical construction and facilities management firm with headquarters in Seattle, and RWE Schott Solar, a global manufacturer of solar energy systems, with an office in Tumwater, were hired by General Administration to manage the installation of the panels.

By Jim Erskine

Department of General Administration

360-902-7206           Jerskin@ga.wa.gov