CoorsTek Joins Cascadia Community Energy and KSI to Power Oregon Facilities and Homes with Local Solar

December 04, 2025

Hillsboro, OR–CoorsTek, a leading global manufacturer of technical ceramics, and Cascadia Community Energy (Cascadia), a premier Pacific Northwest provider of access to discounted power through community solar, today announced CoorsTek’s participation in a portfolio of four new community solar projects across the Portland-metro area serving utility customers of Portland General Electric. Together these four projects represent approximately 10.5 megawatts of new renewable generation capacity to the electric grid, producing nearly 20 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually for Portland-area customers. Three of the four projects will be owned and operated by Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure (KSI), an established investor and operator of community solar and distributed energy facilities nationwide. The fourth project, Dolphin Solar located in Damascus, is being developed by the Community Energy Cooperative, a new renewable energy cooperative in Oregon that facilitates partnerships between local nonprofit organizations and distributed energy projects. Dolphin Solar’s nonprofit partner is the Clackamas Service Center, a “one-stop” community center serving needy families and individuals in Southeast Portland.

CoorsTek is contracted to purchase a portion of the projects’ output which is made possible by the Oregon Community Solar Program. The Oregon Community Solar Program was created by the state legislature in 2016 and launched by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission in 2020. The program allows retail utility customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to opt-in to procuring power from local renewable projects at a discount, while affording benefits similar to that of traditional green pricing programs. In addition to commercial customers like CoorsTek, the projects also include residential customers, and 10% of each project is reserved for low-income households.

CoorsTek’s participation will benefit its Hillsboro manufacturing facility. “Partnering with Cascadia and KSI for local, solar power directly aligns with CoorsTek’s sustainability commitments and 2030 Climate Vision. We are thrilled to support a cleaner grid and proud to decarbonize our manufacturing operations in Oregon in such an impactful way,” said Dara Ward, Sustainability Director for CoorsTek.

Cascadia Community Energy, based in Everett, Washington and exclusively serving the Oregon Community Solar market, was started by Jonathan Nelson in early 2025 to help bring more mass-market awareness of the benefits of community solar to Oregonians. Oregon-born and with strong family history ties to Portland, Nelson has been developing renewable projects in the state since 2017 and is passionate about community solar as a way for more local businesses and customers to experience the economic benefits of the transition to clean energy. “Partnerships like these with CoorsTek help spotlight the environmental and economic benefits of local clean-tech innovation and renewable development in Oregon. The state’s community solar program has been around since 2020, but many people still are just learning about it. Cascadia’s mission is to help more people connect to these projects.” Interested customers can sign up on Cascadia’s website at CascadiaCommunityEnergy.com. The free sign-up process takes 3 minutes.

“As with all of the projects we are involved in, KSI is excited to share a role in helping connect more customers to sustainable energy in a way that creates long-term value for both them and their communities. We’re honored to have a customer like CoorsTek, a longstanding great American company that is at the cutting edge of innovation in its respective industries,” said Ken Lehman, Managing Director of KSI.

CoorsTek, Cascadia, and KSI would all like to thank Oregon Community Solar Program supporting entities including the Oregon Public Utilities Commission, the Energy Trust of Oregon, Community Energy Project, the Oregon Solar and Storage Industries Association (OSSIA), and Portland General Electric for helping facilitate innovative access to local renewable energy for retail energy customers.

About CoorsTek
Founded in 1910 and continuously owned and operated by the Coors family, CoorsTek is a leading global manufacturer of technical ceramics. By leveraging expertise in engineering and materials science, CoorsTek provides solutions to complex challenges in the semiconductor, medical, aerospace, energy, and other industries. With over 400 proprietary material formulations, vertically integrated systems, and unparalleled process capabilities, CoorsTek partners with its customers to make the world measurably better. Visit CoorsTek.com.

About Cascadia Community Energy
Cascadia Community Energy is a premier Pacific Northwest provider of customer access to discounted power through community solar and distributed energy projects. Cascadia’s community solar offerings connect Oregonians to local clean power helping them participate and become agents of change in the clean energy revolution. Interested customers can easily opt-in to subscribe to one of Cascadia’s projects at CascadiaCommunityEnergy.com.

About Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure
Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure, LLC (KSI) is a leading development and finance firm that manages investments into impact-producing real assets such as solar, storage, and water resource projects with reliable cash flows. KSI has deep experience in infrastructure and equity markets, taking a long-term approach to this non-correlated and growing asset class while minimizing risk. KSI sees the future of energy in the US as an opportunity to drive impact both for people and the planet. The energy transition is paving the way for renewable energy to become increasingly prolific and create opportunities for everyone involved to improve the quality of life for households, businesses, and communities.

Media Contacts

CoorsTek
Megan Maguire
Director, Global Marketing Communications
mmaguire@coorstek.com

Cascadia Community Energy
Jonathan Nelson
info@cascadiacommunityenergy.com

KSI
Eric Luesebrink
eluesebrink@kendallsustainableinfrastructure.com