KERMAN – Mayor Gary Yep and City Manager Luis Patlan of Kerman, Calif. joined officials of ConEdison Solutions and Borrego Solar Systems today to dedicate a state-of-the-art solar installation at the City of Kerman’s wastewater treatment plant.
By tapping solar power as an energy source, taxpayers will enjoy approximately 40-percent net reduction in the treatment plant’s electricity costs -- a savings of more than $95,000 per year. In addition to cost savings, the use of clean and renewable solar power brings an array of environmental benefits and helps reduce America’s dependence on overseas fuel supplies.
Through a 20-year purchase power agreement with ConEdison Solutions, the half-megawatt solar facility will supply 70 percent of the plant’s electricity and generate 940,000 kilowatt hours of power annually.
The 1,680-panel solar installation is owned and operated by ConEdison Solutions, an energy services company based in Valhalla, NY, and was constructed by Borrego Solar Systems Inc., a leading solar company headquartered in San Diego, CA.
“Across the United States, forward-looking communities are leveraging both the environmental and economic benefits of solar power,” said Michael W. Gibson, Vice President of ConEdison Solutions. “We applaud the City of Kerman for serving as a role model for municipalities nationwide through its creative commitment to renewable energy.”
“We expanded the capability of our waste water treatment facility to better serve the growing Kerman community, but this larger state-of-the-art operation requires more energy to operate, and in turn, more electricity,” said Mayor Gary Yep. “By going solar, Kerman is offsetting the increase in electricity, reducing our net-energy costs, and protecting our budget against future utility-rate increases while creating local jobs. This public-private partnership will reduce Kerman’s electricity costs for 20 years, and required zero upfront capital expense.”
"The extraction, treatment and distribution of water requires a tremendous amount of energy, and with California populations growing and the cost of electricity rising, the City of Kerman was wise to look to solar as a means of saving on energy costs,” said Mike Hall, CEO of Borrego Solar. “This installation is a testament to the City's commitment to bolstering local green jobs, supporting clean energy and reducing taxpayer burden. Through the power purchase agreement, Kerman was able to move to solar energy with no upfront costs."
In other initiatives by the City, the wastewater treatment plant has undergone a $6.7 million expansion, the largest capital improvement initiative in the City’s history. The plant expansion was made possible with a $2 million grant via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and a $4.7 million loan from California’s State Water Resources Board Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund.