ODOE at 50: Investing in Renewable Energy

2025 marks 50 years of Oregon Department of Energy public service. As we continue leading Oregon to a safe, equitable, clean, and sustainable future for the next 50 years (and beyond!), we’re taking time to look back and reflect on what got us here.

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Almost since its inception, ODOE has offered incentive programs to help Oregonians across the state invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. This month, we look back at the Renewable Energy Development Grant Program.

Between 2012 and 2019, the RED Grant Program awarded grants for energy projects to Tribes, businesses, nonprofits, organizations, public bodies, and schools. ODOE’s program used a two-tier grant award system so similarly sized projects competed against each other, which ensured smaller projects could remain competitive.

The program also tapped​ into an innovative funding source – an independently administered auction of tax credits – to help the agency serve more Oregonians without using scarce state general fund dollars. In 2018, ODOE’s RED Grant Program was awarded a national State Leadership in Clean Energy (SLICE) award from the Clean Energy States Alliance. CESA — a nonprofit coalition of public agencies working together to advance clean energy — established the biennial awards to highlight model programs and projects that have accelerated the adoption of clean energy technologies and strengthened clean energy markets. (ODOE also won a SLICE award in 2022 for the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program.)

Coyote Trails School of Nature in Medford received an over $12,000 RED Grant to install solar in 2015.

In 2021, ODOE was pleased to join Ashland Food-Co-op to celebrate its new virtual net-metered solar project. The co-op received an over $100,000 RED Grant.

The Bend Area Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore received a $36,000 RED Grant from ODOE in 2016.

Santiam Valley Ranch in Turner, Oregon received two RED Grants totaling nearly $38,000 to support renewable solar at the family-owned ranch.

As of the end of 2024, all projects are now complete and funds have been disbursed to grant awardees.

Program Facts:

$7.9 million total awarded RED Grant dollars

86 projects funded in 25 Oregon counties

$125 million in total project costs leveraged

115 million total annual kilowatt hours of electricity production

597 megawatts total installed capacity

Today, ODOE continues supporting Oregonians through several incentive programs. Check them out on our website.

Stay tuned on our blog this year as we share more milestones and be sure to check out our interactive Energy History Timeline, featuring a history band just for ODOE.