EPWU Explores Solar Energy

El Paso Water Utilities is considering solar power for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant. And while many factors must be weighed before making the decision, implementing solar power can be advantageous under the right circumstances.

The Hutchison Plant currently uses 356,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month compared to 500 kWh in a typical El Paso home. At full capacity, the plant will use 1.64 million kWh of electricity per month, which is enough to power more than 3,200 homes.

The solar project offers many advantages, including reduced operating costs for El Paso Water Utilities and reduced greenhouse gases. Using a renewable energy source also reduces peak demands on El Paso Electric Company’s system grid.

The plant is located on Fort Bliss property, so the project complements the Fort Bliss designation as the Army’s Center of Renewable Energy. It also helps the City of El Paso meet its Sustainability Plan goals by reducing El Paso’s carbon footprint. The City hopes to implement 20 renewable energy projects by 2015.

Increasing Costs
The $12.5 million project is not feasible without federal funding, state funding or both, according to President and CEO Ed Archuleta.

“This may seem very expensive today, but if we can work it out, it can be a very significant program,” he said. “I don’t think anybody would believe energy is going down in price. I see huge increases in energy costs going forward.”

Archuleta has discussed funding with agencies such as the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Fort Bliss will make similar requests at the Department of Defense. Archuleta says the project could be completed next year if Congress appropriates funds and financing is in place by the end of the federal fiscal year.

“Solar energy is not a viable option yet,” said Richard Schoephoerster, secretary treasurer of the Public Service Board, “so we’re clearly going to have to get some grants and other forms of funding to subsidize it. But the efficiency of solar energy is continually going to increase. The initial cost to make the panels is going to continue to decrease. And fossil fuel energy is to going to increase in cost as well.

“This something we’re going to be looking at three, five, ten years down the road, and by then things could be very much changed. So we have to get on board now to be ahead of the curve.”