Shuksan Hall’s server room — the only server room on campus — will be completely solar powered by the end of next month, a small but notable step in EVCC’s path towards sustainable infrastructure.
You may have noticed installation the last time you were on campus: 257 solar panels, all made in Washington, were installed over early April on the south and east side of the Shuksan Hall roof.
The installation is possible thanks to $530,000 of state funds. Patrick Snowden, EVCC’s Resource Conservation Manager, ATS Automation (who specialize in energy efficiency and sustainability) and Ellensberg Solar all made the project a reality.
“The system is projected to generate over 150 megawatt hours of electricity annually,” Sam Ellinger, the project manager at Ellensburg Solar, said.
Snowden clarified that the solar panels will produce enough electricity to power 30% of Shuksan Hall — or 15 American homes — annually.
While this is a momentous step, the ventilation, lighting and the complicated machines at Shuksan Hall consume the majority of the electricity. However, EVCC students can now rest assured that their digital infrastructure will be entirely powered by green energy.
The server room at EVCC runs all the cloud infrastructure on campus. From fundamental services like Canvas, ctcLink and EVCC emails, to creative suites like the Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office.
What makes solar power a step in the right direction is that “Hydroelectric power accounts for more than 80% of the PUD’s portfolio of generating resources, mostly supplied by contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration,” according to the Snohomish County PUD website regarding hydroelectricity.
Those dams are notorious for killing off the local salmon population and drastically changing the local ecosystem, as reported in a statement by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
A move like this is good for the school’s profit margins as well, “Every dollar saved on utilities is a dollar redirected into the classroom,” said EVCC’s Associate VP of Campus Operations Chris Carson.
The Shuksan solar project began its timeline in 2025, when Snowden applied for a grant and received $530,000 to build the solar array.
“The WA State Department of Commerce had several rounds of grant funding available for solar systems on public buildings,” he said. “So I applied for a large grant, and it was approved.”
Next came the sorting of red tape by all parties: permits, billing, certificates and engineer-approved stamps on the solar plans. This process started in the summer of 2025, and continued until its eventual installation in April 2026.
“The physical installation was the fastest part of the project, and this took our crews six working days to complete,” Ellinger said. “Following installation we have approximately four weeks of electrical and building inspections and utility requirements.”
Snowden noted the solar installation is still under inspection, but it is expected to provide electricity in the near future.
Once the project is done, no regular maintenance will be needed for quite some time. “Every couple of years, we will clean them off with soapy water, but that’s literally it,” Snowden said.
Even with minimal maintenance, solar panels easily have the durability to last 25 years. They are constructed with robust materials like tempered glass, aluminum and a weather-resistant coat. Well-built solar panels are extremely resistant to heavy rain, snow and even hail.
Naturally, Snowden wants to do his best to maximize the number of solar panels around campus.
“It is my goal before I retire to have one megawatt of solar on campus. That is a very aggressive target, but I’ve only been Resource Conservation Manager for about 2.5 years, and we’re already at 12% of that goal.”
One megawatt of electricity can power up to 1,000 homes for one year.
Snowden intends to fund his aggressive target through routinely applying for grants, energy rebates from the PUD and the continued cooperation with EVCC leadership.
Edward Alexander, EvCC’s Executive Director of Technology Services, is thrilled. “What I am excited about is how this gives the college additional power options for future growth, while also partnering with Snohomish County PUD.”
In looking towards the future, Carson said, “We are actively pursuing further opportunities to add solar panels to a second campus building, and we’re exploring the decommissioning of the campus steam plant.”
“We recognize that our students expect us to be leaders in environmental stewardship, and there is a clear financial incentive to do so.”
EVCC still has a long way to go if it wants the title of self-sustainability, but these enduring solar panels are set to pay dividends for years to come.
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