Flathead Electric Cooperative, a member-owned utility in northwest Montana, celebrated the opening of its third community solar project on September 16, 2026. The site is on Monegan Road next to the Whitefish Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is the co-op’s first community solar site paired with a battery.
How does a member “own” solar here?
Members don’t own panels outright. They buy the output of individual panels, and the generation is credited on their bill, according to the Whitefish Pilot. The array has 448 panels, and 128 members joined. The panels began feeding the grid in late January 2026. The battery was still being finished in March, with energizing expected in mid-March.
Seventy-seven panels offset energy use for low-income families in the co-op’s territory. A $50,000 grant from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and a $5,000 donation from Yeti Photovoltaic paid for them, per the Whitefish Pilot.
What does the battery do?
It stores solar power and sends it out during the co-op’s peak demand hours. When fully charged, it can supply about 30 average homes during that period, according to NBC Montana. The co-op buys power at higher cost during peak hours, so shifting some supply into that window can lower what it pays. The co-op hasn’t published a measured dollar saving. The battery isn’t described as home backup power.
Why It Matters to You
If you’re a Flathead Electric member, a panel’s output is credited on your bill, and the co-op projected $40 to $70 per panel per year in 2024. That’s a projection, and actual credits depend on how many panels you hold and how much the array produces. The member panels were reported sold out, so ask the co-op about any future waitlist. Low-income families in the co-op’s territory benefit through the 77 panels set aside for them.
Who can join, and do renters qualify?
Flathead Electric members who bought panel output. Reports say the member panels were sold out, and 128 members participated. The reports describe member purchases and don’t mention rent or ownership rules, so renters should confirm eligibility with the co-op.
What’s still a projection?
- The $700 price per panel and the $40 to $70 yearly bill credit per panel are 2024 co-op projections, reported before construction. No 2026 report confirms either number.
- No source supports a specific dollar saving from one evening of battery use.
- The co-op’s own community relations manager said the project “does not materially change the carbon footprint of Whitefish,” because the co-op’s power mix is already about 97% carbon-free, mostly federal hydropower.
- Grant amounts differ between reports. A 2024 report cited a $495,535 USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant, and the final figure isn’t confirmed.
- Local reports describe 2024 plans for a 200 kW battery. Whether the built system matches that size isn’t stated in 2026 coverage.
Sources
- Whitefish Pilot: Solar project up and running (Mar 4, 2026)
- NBC Montana: Flathead Electric Coop expands solar power in Whitefish (Sep 16, 2026)
- NBC Montana: New community solar project opens in Whitefish (Sep 16, 2026)
- KPAX: Flathead Electric Cooperative announces Community Solar III project in Whitefish (Mar 30, 2024)