CPS Energy unveiled The Bill Sinkin Centennial Solar Farm at an event Monday.The farm is the first of two 19.8 megawatt projects named after the local solar energy advocate, and it is expected to produce enough clean power for an estimated 2,550 Texas homes annually.
"I don't know if there's another site in the country that can rival this. We have around 20 megawatts of solar on a site that's dedicated to producing affordable water in a way that conserves water, and provides for enough water in the future for San Antonians," said CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby.
Working alongside San Antonio Water Systems and SunEdison it took CPS Energy three years to make the solar farms a reality, and since 2009 when the three entities began to make plans there have been three main goals for this project.
"We wanted to help develop a solar energy program that would offer clean energy at an affordable rate...to create local jobs, and to provide resources and opportunities for students in San Antonio and the region looking to pursue careers in the new energy economy," said Robert Reinchenberger, Vice President of Commercial Solar at SunEdison.
In response to the third goal, CPS Energy and SunEdison donated two scholarship checks totaling $300,000 to The Alamo Colleges, and The University of Texas at San Antonio.
"It is creating good power for our local utility, but also creating jobs, and investing in education at the Alamo Colleges and at UTSA, ensuring that the next generation not just of energy but also of scholars of research and development happens here," said Mayor Julian Castro.
The two sites will contain over 83,000 photovoltaic solar panels that track from East to West, located on approximately 200 acres of land owned by SAWS at the Dios Rios Water Recycling Center on Bexar County's far Southside.
CPS Energy is set to purchase all of the electric generation produced at Centennial through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement with SAWS, that is predicted to offset 1.1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide within that time.
By: Marissa A. Wagner
