What Happened?
The City of Hanford, CA, has become one of a growing number of California municipalities powering water services through solar energy, in a project that is projected to save $7 million over its life.
So What?
Municipalities -- and conglomerates of municipalities -- are seeing the value in a substantial upfront investment to save on long-term energy costs in the future by locking in current solar energy prices.
The Details
Hanford has built a 1-megawatt solar energy system at its water treatment plant that is expected to save $7 million on electricity costs at the site over the life of the project. The initial cost of installing the solar panels is offset in the long-term by the cost savings on the current method of electricity delivery.
Similar Programs
Ramona, Calif., agreed to switch its wastewater treatment plant to solar power in September with a program installed and developed by Atlanta-based Enfinity America and with solar panels provided by manufacturing company Siliken, a co-developer on the project. The 2,156 solar panels on site expect to save the rate-payers of the system $480,148 over the 20-year life of the project and provide fixed-rate service.
In October, Danville, Calif., agreed to convert to solar power, a $1.2 million investment that will pay off to the tune of about $4.4 million in savings over the 25-year life of the project.
It’s not just happening in sun-rich California. Morristown, N.J., has converted its waste water treatment plant to solar energy, and added a website that shows how much the plant saves in electrical costs and how it reduces the plant’s carbon footprint. So far in 2012, the plant has saved more than $70,000 and reduced its carbon footprint by 40 percent.
More Information
Hanford’s city manager, Darrel Pyle, can be reached through e-mail or at 559-585-2516. SunPower’s website has a live chat feature, or the company can be reached by phone at 1-800-SUNPOWER.