LB’s Solar Power | Five Years On

On a sunny Kitsap drive, passing through Poulsbo, by the tip of Liberty Bay, you might’ve glanced over and seen an arrangement of solar panels on the roof of building number 20201, Liberty Bay Auto Center. While you may have noticed these giant black rectangles in passing, there’s probably quite a bit about LB’s solar-energy system you didn’t know, so we’re here to take a closer look!

Did you know: The cost of solar panels has reduced by 99% since 1977!

About a half-decade ago, in late 2014, Liberty Bay Auto Center owner Dean Church laid out the projections and made the initial investment in an array of solar-energy-collecting panels that would serve as a great step toward environmentally friendly and economical green business. The project, carried out in it’s construction by Washington Solar Incentives LLC, has since yielded measurable savings for the Poulsbo dealership, and has garnered a bit of attention from locals as well.

Even without asking someone in-the-know at Liberty Bay Auto, the estimated math appears pretty attractive. Originally estimated to pay for itself in about four or five years, the array hasn’t done quite that, but still manages to provide measurable annual savings for the store’s electricity bill.

The large array of panels, spanning a total seven-hundred square feet, create a potential 8.8 KW of energy to assist and relieve the power grid in powering the building’s vast array of tools, equipment, and lighting. Twenty-three hydraulic lifts, over thirty-five desktop computers, roughly ten printers, and a number of pieces of heavy equipment all draw power from this system. Even on a non-sunny day, the array is still working to provide energy, recycling power and keeping our lovely Kitsap County just a smidge greener.