This is the first installment in a year-long series that will follow one family’s solar journey.

After dreaming for years about adding solar to their southeast Portland home, Denise Olsen and her husband Don finally made the leap in November 2025. Now, they are already seeing their investment pay off through savings on their electricity bill.

An 11.04-kilowatt solar panel system, installed by Energy Trust of Oregon trade ally Elemental Energy, will generate an estimated 11,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity every year and save an estimated $2,300 annually. As Portland General Electric customers, they qualified for an Energy Trust cash incentive that helped reduce project costs.

“It’s a really good investment. We started seeing savings immediately,” said Denise. “It’s also cool to show you are supporting clean energy.”

After moving into their house about 17 years ago, Denise and Don thought about installing solar, but there were a couple of obstacles. As a growing family with two boys, solar wasn’t in their budget at that time, and a couple of trees shaded their roof.

Meanwhile, as an Energy Trust employee, Denise was well aware of other energy improvements they could make to their home. Over the years, they used Energy Trust cash incentives for energy efficiency to gradually add insulation, seal air leaks, upgrade windows and install a ductless heat pump.

But the solar dream continued. “My husband would say ‘I wish we could get solar. Imagine if we could get solar — look how much money we could save.’ It was on our minds for a very long time,” said Denise.

Then mother nature sent them a sign: A tree shading their roof died and had to be removed, and soon after large branches fell from another. Suddenly, their roof was getting much more sun.

About three years ago, Denise used the “request a bid” feature on the Energy Trust website. She was paired with three Energy Trust trade ally contractors who each provided a free analysis and bid. She still wasn’t quite ready to make the leap because other home projects felt more urgent. But the team at Elemental Energy kept in touch.

“They were super easy to work with. They weren’t pushy like some door-to-door salespeople. They just explained all the options, then they would check in periodically and send updated quotes,” said Denise. Last fall, the Olsens decided it made sense to move forward.

“It was pretty easy. They used a drone to measure the roof and then sent us a design. We had already upgraded the electric panel, so it could accommodate solar panels and, in the future, an electric vehicle,” said Denise. The actual installation was completed in a day.

A couple of months in, the Olsens are happy with their decision.

“I’m proud to be working for Energy Trust and making a difference for our energy future,” said Denise. “But our biggest motivation was to save energy and money. Hopefully, this will cover 100% of the energy we use.”

The system includes a phone app, which they check daily to track how much energy they are using and how much power their solar panels are producing.

“It’s pretty cool, almost like a video game,” said Denise. “We made a good investment, and we’re excited to see how much generation will increase in the summer. When I’m walking home and see the panels on the roof, I feel so happy.”

Wondering how much you could save with solar or solar plus battery storage? PGE and Pacific Power customers are eligible for Energy Trust cash incentives. Request a free analysis and bid. We’ll pair you with Energy Trust trade allies that serve your area.