By Andrea Kelly
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
August 14, 2009
A new solar-power facility is being built to supply the county with one megawatt of renewable energy a year, or 15 percent of the power needed to run the Roger Road wastewater-reclamation plant.
What is it? The largest solar-power generator in the county so far, with 90 solar panels with 3,690 photovoltaic cells installed on a flat expanse of land north of the wastewater plant, east of the Santa Cruz River.
How much does it cost? Solon America, a Tucson company, will pay to build and operate the facility. Pima County expects to pay $3.5 million for the electricity from the facility under a 20-year contract, which is about $1.5 million less than it calculates it would have to pay Tucson Electric Power Co. for the same amount of power.
Why does it matter? Once the solar panels are operating, probably in December, the wastewater-processing plant will be running on 45 percent renewable energy. It will get 15 percent of its power from solar energy, 30 percent from methane gas. The plant will still rely on Tucson Electric Power for 22 percent of its power, and Southwest Gas will provide the remaining 33 percent of the energy needs.
What will it save? The electricity the wastewater plant used to draw from the Tucson Electric Power grid will be saved, which should help ease the burden on peak air-conditioning days such as these summer scorchers. The project contributes to the county’s goal to convert 15 percent of its total energy use to renewable sources by 2025. This project covers nearly 2 percent of the county’s total annual energy needs.
Contact reporter Andrea Kelly at 807-7790 or akelly@azstarnet.com
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