Published March 18 2015
The Solarize Bellevue campaign far surpassed its goal for increasing the number of rooftop solar installations in the city. Now the community is invited to celebrate that success at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue Teen Center, which benefited from the effort with a free rooftop system valued at more than $16,000.
A public celebration will take place from 3:30-6 p.m., Friday, March 27, at the Teen Center, 15228 Lake Hills Blvd. There will be presentations and speakers beginning at 4 p.m., with remarks by Mayor Claudia Balducci, followed by a ribbon-cutting scheduled at 4:30 p.m. An RSVP is requested.
The free event also will include food, beverages, and solar energy-related games. Also on hand will be special guest mascots "Blitz" from the Seattle Seahawks, and Bellevue's own "Carbon Yeti."
Solarize Bellevue was coordinated by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center with support from the City of Bellevue and a group of community volunteers. The campaign connected interested Bellevue residents with a contractor, selected by the volunteers, offering reduced-cost, headache-free solar installations for homes or businesses.
The free solar panels, installed last week at the teen center, resulted from the success of the Solarize Bellevue effort. Northwest Electric and Solar, the contractor, agreed to donate a system to a local non-profit if the goal of 30 solar photovoltaic systems was met. The campaign easily exceeded the goal with 50 new installations, increasing solar production in Bellevue by an estimated 140 percent. Through a community vote, Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue was chosen as the winning nonprofit.