Little Bit in Redmond goes solar

Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center is the beneficiary of a donated solar system from Northwest Electric and Solar (NWES) of Kenmore.

Located at Dunmire Stables in Redmond, Little Bit is making an effort to help people with disabilities lead more enriched lives through adaptive horseback riding and hippotherapy. The organization is a community in which horses transform the bodies, minds, and spirits of people with disabilities.

Little Bit’s flagship programs — adaptive riding and hippotherapy — utilize the qualities of the horse to effect change in the lives of children and adults with disabilities. These programs provide physical benefits including strengthening muscles, preventing bone weakness and joint dislocation, improving balance and enhancing hand/eye coordination.

“We all are working to make the world a better place. Whether it is through helping people with disabilities or through adding clean solar energy to our buildings,” Little Bit executive director Paula DelGiudice said in a press release. “As a nonprofit, we carefully steward the gifts our generous community provides to help us keep our costs of operation low.”

NWES installed a 3.66 kWDC solar system that includes 12 mission solar energy 3055 watt solar modules, 12 SolarEdge P320 DC Optimizers, one SolarEdge SE7600H-US Inverter and an IronRidge XR100 Racking System. The solar system will produce 400 kilowatt hours per year, which will reduce Little Bit’s electric bill by nearly half.

“Cost is a substantial piece of our operating expense,” DelGiudice said. “Anything we can do to reduce the cost and if we can do anything to be more green…we try to operate in such a green fashion as we can.”

The new solar system was installed on the west side of the arena at the 14-acre facility. Just last fall, Little Bit received a $250,000 donation to install a new roof that provides better circulation and insulation in the arena.

“We really like the program and we’re thrilled to support Little Bit and all it does for people with disabilities,” said Joan Schrammeck, who does community outreach for NWES. “It’s great to be able to harvest sunshine, make electricity, reduce electricity bill, and use that plain energy.”

According to Schrammeck, more sunshine falls on the earth than the Earth uses in electricity in an hour. She said the sun is a “fabulous source of energy.”

The size of the installed system allows room for future expansions as Little Bit’s financial resources and incoming donations allow.

To learn more about Little Bit, see www.littlebit.org.

To learn more about NWES, see www.nwsolar.com.

Stephanie Quiroz/staff photo Northwest Electric and Solar installing the solar system on the arena at Little Bits in Redmond.

The donated solar solar energy system will produce 4000 kilowatt hours per year, which will reduce Little Bit’s electric bill by nearly half. Stephanie Quiroz/staff photo