Oregon Public Broadcasting

A stretch of Oregon highway will soon be lit with solar energy. State officials say the solar project near the interchange of I-5 and I-205 is the first project of its kind in the country. Andrew Theen reports.

Right now there is only one solar panel on the grassy island between I-5 and I-205.  But by December, there will be 594 panels.

They will collect energy from the sun by day, add the energy to Portland General Electric's power grid, and that will account for almost a third of the energy needed to light the interchange at night.

Oregon Department of Transportation project director Allison Hamilton says the idea came to her a year ago after watching an episode of the PBS science program "NOVA".

Allison Hamilton: "It showed all the solar panels on the rights of way in Europe, and you know the light went off, and it was 'why don't we do that here?'"

Hamilton says ODOT has lots of land it can use to create a statewide network of 120 miles of solar panels -- enough power to light Oregon's highways.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski said it wasn't easy to get the $1.3 million project going.

He credited public-private partnerships and the state's business energy tax credit for making renewable energy enticing.

Ted Kulongoski: "How we address the challenge of improving and diversifying our transportation infrastructure while reducing our overall carbon footprint will define who we are as a people, as a state, and I believe in the long time as a nation."

Kulongoski said the project is an example of Oregon staking its ground as "the center for renewable energy" in the nation.