Parker Meggitt's production facility in the Portland area now features a solar array at 4607 S.E. International Way, Milwaukie.

A Milwaukie-based motion and control technology company recently installed what might be Oregon’s largest rooftop solar array.

Parker Meggitt General Manager Rob Gustine said the company is responding to customers’ concerns about climate change by “pushing boundaries” at production sites to make environmental sustainability a long-term strategic priority.

“It’s been a long journey from those initial conversations around thinking about solar panels, to finally having them installed, so it’s fantastic to see them up and running,” Gustine said. “But what’s even more exciting is to see the power they are already generating, visible through a live web portal. It’s electrifying to think about the potential power they will generate in their estimated 25-year lifetime.”

On Jan. 11, Meggitt’s panels turned on for the first time, and even though Oregon’s winter months typically only provide about 10 hours of cloud-covered light, the sun has contributed a steady 200kW of power to the panels. In the first 19 days of deployment, the array has already saved nearly 19,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of planting 141 trees.

“This is a very exciting development for Milwaukie,” said Mayor Lisa Batey. “We have so many large buildings in both the North Main and International Way industrial areas, which (city) council identified six or seven years ago as a potential boon for getting more solar power in Milwaukie… I really appreciate Meggitt’s leadership in this arena.”

Meggitt’s solar panels are one of the largest rooftop arrays in the state, if not the largest. Before stepping down as mayor in January to become a newly elected state representative, Mark Gamba worked with Meggitt and the Energy Trust to explore incentives. Gamba previously encouraged Bob’s Red Mill restaurant and the Waverley apartment complex in Milwaukie to install solar arrays on their buildings.

“Meggitt’s array is certainly the largest in Milwaukie,” Gamba said. “This is awesome, and we’re super excited about the size of this and really proud of the efforts of the companies.”

Meggitt’s roof solar photovoltaic panels were installed in partnership with the building owners, SEIW LLC, which is owned by the Schlesinger family of Oregon real estate investors.

Meggitt’s solar-array installation took 41 weeks to complete. The array covers 50,000 square feet and has over 1,150 solar panels. The 532 kW system is expected to produce 640 MWh of electricity per year and account for roughly 20% of the facility’s energy requirements. In scale to an average household, the system is enough to power more than 60 houses per year.

“Our goal is to contribute to a cleaner future by continuously improving and adapting our operational systems to promote best practice efficiencies and improvements. This includes taking actions to address climate change, conserving water and enabling our customer’s sustainability journeys with innovative products,” Gustine said.