BEND, OR -- Buy a solar panel…get a break on your electric bill - That’s the essence of a new program from Central Electric Cooperative. Crews broke ground on the new solar project Wednesday, adjacent to CEC’s facility on SE 27th in Bend, next to Knott landfill. “We are going to be filling 1.5-acres of land with over 700 solar panels,” says Courtney Linville with Central Electric Co-Op.

Linville tells KBND a customer survey last year showed enthusiasm for the project. Members will be able to purchase a solar panel and Linville says, “Members will actually get the credit from the energy that is created from the panel onto their bills.” The company is awaiting word on grant applications before establishing pricing for the panels.

The solar project will be visible from 27th Street. Linville says they will plant vegetation to help obstruct that view. If successful, there is room for four additional solar “gardens” at the southeast Bend location.