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PORTLAND, Ore.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--One year after breaking ground, the nationas largest solar highway project a" a partnership between [ Portland General Electric ] (NYSE:POR) and the [ Oregon Department of Transportation ]a" is now open to visitors stopping to take respite from their travels along Interstate 5 in Oregon.

"The Baldock Solar Station not only educates travelers about the booming solar industry in our state, but showcases what can be accomplished through creative collaboration between public and private partners."

Growing clean, renewable energy amongst farm fields of corn and cabbage, the [ Baldock Solar Station ] is a 1.75-megawatt solar array boasting nearly 7,000 solar panels across seven acres of the Baldock Safety Rest Area, located on Interstate 5 northbound near Wilsonville. Visitors to the station can learn about solar power and Oregonas solar highway installations through a variety of interpretive displays and walk along a sustainable community garden bordering the site created by Oregon State University Master Gardeners.

Built and operated by PGE on land owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the $10 million solar array went online in January and is expected to produce 1.97 million kilowatt-hours of energy each year a" equivalent to 11 percent of ODOTas need in PGEas service territory.

aThis solar highway project shows how Oregon is leading the nation in developing innovative, renewable energy sources,a said Jim Piro, PGE president and CEO. aThe Baldock Solar Station not only educates travelers about the booming solar industry in our state, but showcases what can be accomplished through creative collaboration between public and private partners.a

aWith this project a" the largest of its kind in the nation a" weare contributing to a strong future in clean, renewable energy resources for Oregon,a said Matt Garrett, ODOT director. aItas just one example of the kind of forward-thinking approach we can take in transportation a" one that brings multiple benefits to Oregonians.a

The Baldock Solar Station is also an all-Oregon project, featuring 6,994 panels produced by SolarWorld of Hillsboro, with inverters provided by Advanced Energy of Bend. All consulting, construction, analysis and other materials also were provided by Oregon companies.

The station is the second joint highway solar project between PGE and ODOT and will help PGE meet the stateas Renewable Energy Standard of providing 25 percent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2025. To date, PGE has a combined 37.7 megawatts of solar power online by utility and customer resources in Oregon. Nearly 3,000 PGE customers have solar electric systems installed on their homes and businesses.

Bank of America provided financing for the project, with additional support provided by Energy Trust of Oregon, PGEas Clean Wind program and the stateas Business Energy Tax Credit program.

To learn more about the Baldock Solar Station and view its live solar output, visit [ PortlandGeneral.com/SolarStation ]. Visitors to the station can share their experience by tagging photos and tweets with #HiPGE and #GoSolar or send tweets to @PortlandGeneral.

About Portland General Electric Company

Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 828,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. Visit our website at [ PortlandGeneral.com ].

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