Pendleton’s New Solar Canopy ‘Cloud’ Funded by ODOE Grant Cuts Expenses, Saves Energy

Photo courtesy of City of Pendleton

A project that started as a “crazy dream” for the City of Pendleton’s Assistant Public Works Director Kyle Willman became a reality with help of ODOE’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program.

At the time, Willman’s primary responsibility was the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, and he began thinking of ways to optimize an important step at the end of the treatment process: disinfecting wastewater in the chlorine contact chamber.

The temperature of this large open-top contact chamber tank is crucial to the process, both for regulatory permits and for efficiency. Willman said lowering the water temperature lowers the amount of chlorine needed for disinfection, resulting in cost savings.

He considered covering the large tank with a sunshade, but the Eastern Oregon wind would make upkeep challenging. Instead, his dream led him to cover the tank with a solar panel canopy.

The project was a recipient of a $900,000 construction grant from the first round of the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Program, also known as C-REP. The City of Pendleton contracted with Ameresco to provide technical expertise to take the solar canopy from a dream to a successful grant application and constructed project.

“I can’t thank ODOE and the C-REP people enough for giving the citizens of Pendleton this opportunity to do this project,” said Willman. “The project wouldn’t (have) happened without the program. It’s just that simple.”

The new solar panel canopy acts as cloud cover, which lowers the temperature of the water, lowers chlorine quantities, and reduces the presence of algae.

“We’ve already seen a small reduction in chlorine usage just in the last few months,” said Willman. “We are seeing that benefit actually come to reality.”

In addition, the solar panels put the city’s treatment plant one step closer to Willman’s goal of being true net zero, where the facility produces as much energy as it consumes. In the time since the solar canopy was installed in late May 2025, Willman said the plant is experiencing more than the projected 30 percent reduction in electricity use.

For Willman, the completed solar canopy over the chlorine contact chamber was the next step toward the plant’s goals of being as energy independent as possible and reducing its carbon footprint. With past solar projects, a battery project underway, and future projects in planning stages, Willman is building an interconnected system of renewable energy to power the plant, that when complete, should generate more electricity than it needs to run.

ODOE will begin accepting applications for a fourth round of Community Renewable Energy Program grant funding on Aug. 11, 2025, to support even more renewable energy and resilience projects. Learn more about the program and requirements.