Updated Oregon Solar Dashboard Shows Decades of Solar Growth

ODOE’s Solar Dashboard shows solar growth between 1986 and 2022.

Over the past few decades, solar-generated electricity in Oregon has blossomed from a few scattered rooftop projects in the 1980s to dozens of large utility-scale solar facilities today. The Oregon Department of Energy’s interactive Solar Dashboard has been updated to show Oregon’s solar growth from 1986 to 2022.

The dashboard also shows the dramatic decrease in the cost of residential solar systems – from an average $16.53 per watt in 1999 to just $3.66 in 2021. It also illustrates annual generation in each Oregon county, the 10 largest projects in the state, utility-specific solar data, and much more.

The dashboard includes rooftop solar projects that were supported by ODOE’s Solar + Storage Rebate Program. The program can help Oregonians invest in renewable solar energy at home, with rebates of up to $5,000 for a solar electric system and up to $2,500 off a paired energy storage system. Oregonians with low or moderate incomes are eligible for higher rebate amounts. Organizations that provide services to low-income Oregonians are also eligible for rebates of up to $30,000 for solar and up to $15,000 for paired battery storage.

ODOE first published the solar dashboard in 2019 after working with regional utility, solar industry, and community partners to quantify trends in the energy sector and make data available to stakeholders in user-friendly formats. The original work was made possible in part through a federal grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy; known regionally as Solar Plus, the project included partners in Oregon and Washington working together on strategies related to community solar, grid resilience, and energy planning.

ODOE relied on its own data as well as data from Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, Idaho Power, Eugene Water & Electric Board, Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, Forest Grove Light & Power, Northern Wasco PUD and Central Electric Cooperative and Ashland Municipal Electric Utility. Regional partners include Energy Trust of Oregon, Renewable Northwest, Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which supported the project through data sharing and design support.