Summary
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources installed a carport solar and battery energy storage system at its Tumwater Headquarters that produces approximately 110,680 kWh of electricity annually and includes 110.6 kWh of battery storage for backup power.
The project reduces grid reliance and is expected to cut carbon emissions by an estimated 57.6 metric tons of CO₂ per year, equivalent to planting more than 2,000 trees. Funded through a Department of Commerce Clean Energy Grant, the project also supports future electric vehicle charging and serves as a replicable model for clean energy deployment at state facilities.
Washington State Department of Commerce Fact Sheet and Close-Out Questionnaire
Company Profile:
1. Number of employees? 2200
2. Year founded? 1957
3. Please provide one paragraph summary describing the company. (3 – 4 sentences)
About Washington DNR
Just prior to statehood, a cash-poor, land-rich federal government provided Washington with more than 3 million acres of land to build schools and other vital public institutions. Free public education was seen then, as it is now, as essential to American freedom, prosperity and happiness. Two square miles of every 36-square “township” were given to the young state of Washington to generate revenue for education.
In 1957, the legislature created the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to manage state trust lands for the people of Washington. Under the elected leadership of the Commissioner of Public Lands, DNR manages seven specific trusts to generate revenue and preserve forests, water, and habitat. DNR now manages 5.6 million acres of forest, range, agricultural, aquatic, and commercial lands for more than $200 million in annual financial benefits for public schools, state institutions, and county services.
Our mission: Manage, sustain, and protect the health and productivity of Washington’s lands and waters to meet the needs of present and future generations.
4. Please provide company website: dnr.wa.gov
5. Please provide the contact information for the company’s primary point of contact (name, title, phone number). Dylan Davis-Bloom Sustainable Operations Manager 360-701-3916
Background:
6.Provide a narrative background on the project and talk about why the project is important. Include any alignment with broader state policy goals.
The project includes installation of a carport solar PV array and battery storage at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Tumwater Headquarters. Installing the carport solar array allows the facility to generate renewable energy that can be used to power electric vehicle charging stations, reduces ongoing electricity bills and grid reliance for the facility, while also helping reduce the facility’s (and the agency’s) carbon footprint. When the system generates more power than the facility is using, the excess energy is moved back into the utility grid. The battery energy storage system (BESS) has the ability to provide backup electricity in the event of a power outage.
One of the major purposes of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the agency as mandated by RCW 70A.45.050. DNR is also actively working to increase renewable energy in Washington, in service to the state’s commitment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.
Approximately 80 percent of DNR’s GHG emissions are from its fleet—the vehicles, aircraft, and boats the agency operates to get its work done. DNR is working to reduce its emissions from fleet and facilities as well as from work-related communications and travel. Piloting the Carport Sollar array and using it to power Electric Vehicle chargers as well as reducing our draw on the local power grid was a natural fit. Project Benefits are many, including 110,680 kWh of solar production annually. This project also includes 110.6 kWh of battery storage capacity and interconnection with the power grid.
Lessons Learned:
What lessons were learned? e.g. What do you see as the long-term potential for the technology/use cases you’ve been demonstrating? Can this be replicated in the future?
Dealing with emerging technology, while very exciting, takes time to properly set up and implement. Our agency is planning to use our experience with this solar & BESS installation and the ongoing monitoring of the energy that it produces to help inform our approach to siting and potentially installing similar solar arrays and other DNR owned locations across the state.
Implementation of this project is set reduce the DNR Tumwater Compound’s annual energy consumption by 110,680 kWh.
Where did you face unforeseen challenges? How did you deal with them?
Early in the project we encountered unrelated (believed to be from 20+ years prior) soil contamination at the construction site which delayed the project for a few months. The installation team had to be placed on a hold until the soil contamination could be remediated with the help of our internal Environmental Services expert.
The project also experienced delays with a new electrical panel that was originally sized inappropriately and a battery that was damaged in shipping. We worked with our sub-contractor to get the appropriate upgrade in place and in functioning order and the battery was replaced with a new unit prior to system commissioning.
9. Provide a narrative overview of the benefits this project brought to the company, community, stakeholders, etc.?
The Tumwater Compound is a major facility located in proximity to a previous superfund site; it is reasonable to assume that DNR’s activities at the site are likely contributing to the health impacts on lower-income populations in the area. Thus, the agency’s transition away from fossil fuels will create environmental benefits for the immediate area as well as for the broader community. Transitioning to solar power at the facility is a vital step in the agency’s overall transition.
Transitioning to solar energy at the site will help the agency reduce grid reliance, and introducing sustainable energy generation to the facility, reducing reliance on generators and diesel fuels. A component of the solar installation is battery powered backup, which is crucial during major weather events as well as other possible challenges. The availability of solar energy on-site also helps make clean energy for fleet-electrification a potential possibility and fits into future site projects including large scale installation of EV chargers. In turn, this creates a direct tie via fleet electrification to remove harmful emissions from the local communities where our agency-owned vehicles operate.
Lastly, this site serves as a proving ground for a more widespread advancement of solar/EV charging technology in DNR owned and state-owned facilities as a whole.
10. List performance metrics including job creation, cost savings, GHG reduction, etc.
Implementation of this project is set to reduce the DNR Tumwater Compound’s annual energy consumption by 110,680 kWh as well as having a positive environmental impact. The project is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 57.6 metric tons of carbon per year, the equivalent of planting 2,180 trees, or reducing coal consumption by 53,985 pounds per year, or displacing the emissions of 19,740 gallons of gasoline burned per year.
Partnerships:
11.Who were the key partners?
MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions
Artisan Electric
Sequoyah Electric
12.Why has this Commerce funding program been important for your organization?
Receiving the grant from the Department of Commerce made funding this project possible. It would be unlikely that this project would be able to move forward and be finished in a relatively short period of time without securing the Clean Energy grant.
Additionally, we hope that receiving the grant and completing the project as intended will help build trust and foster a strong relationship between the DNR and the Dept of Commernce, along with opening the door to other potential funding sources, and community partners who are interested in similar clean energy projects.
From the funding provided via Commerce’s Clean Energy Grant, we were able to complete a project that we are very passionate and excited about and look forward to monitoring the usage data and helping with decarbonizing the local electrical grid from the clean energy our installation creates.
13.What people did the funding bring together for your project who normally wouldn’t be collaborating? What people did the project planning bring together (feel free to mention stakeholder input and/or participation)?
The project brought together staff from the city Tumwater, our Utility Provider PSE, and the Department of Labor and Industries, all of which our contractor and DNR staff worked with on inspections and approvals. We also coordinated with many local tribal governments to ensure that all intents of EO 21-02 were met, prior to the project being started.
The project has also spurred the interest of other state agencies, and local governments. We have been to share our experience and lessons learned in support of further this work across the state. We have shared data on the project and the installation experience with: State Parks, Fish and Wildlife, and Thurston County government.
Media:
14. Please provide a memorable quote from someone involved in the project. This could be you, a company employee, a subcontractor, a stakeholder, a beneficiary, etc.
Dylan Davis-Bloom, Sustainable Operations Manager, DNR
“The only pathway that leads DNR to meeting emissions reductions objectives under RCW 70A.45.050 requires the agency to decarbonize our light-duty vehicle fleet, and to reduce energy used at our facilities whenever possible. The Climate Commitment Act funds received through this Clean Energy grant from the Department of Commerce were instrumental in taking this important step toward achieving both of those goals. While there were delays, change orders, and soil surprises that extended our construction and project timeline, we are thrilled to see this project to completion.”
15.Please attach one or more photos of the project along with this document in an email to your Commerce project manager. Please do not insert the photo into this document.
