1.5 megawatts of solar power dedicated at county wastewater treatment facilities

The Sonoma County Water Agency on Friday dedicated two solar electric power systems totaling more than 1.5 megawatts.
The systems will help save the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District and the Airport-Larkfield-Wikiup Sanitation Zone $250,000 in utility costs annually, and assist the Agency in achieving goals under its Sustainability Initiative.
“We are very pleased to dedicate our new solar power systems today,” said Valerie Brown, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and chair of the Sonoma County Water Agency. “While providing significant savings in utility costs each year, the systems will help reduce global warming by displacing over 37.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions while supplying enough energy equivalent to providing power to 1,500 homes.”
SunPower installed a 1.04-megawatt solar power system at the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District facility. With 5,208 ground-mounted solar panels covering nearly 5 acres, the system will meet at least a third of the treatment plant’s power needs. The installation utilizes the SunPower Tracker system, which enables the solar panels to automatically follow the path of the sun throughout the day, increasing energy capture by up to 25 percent over fixed systems.
A 593-kilowatt solar power system was installed by SPG Solar for the Agency at the Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup Sanitation Zone treatment plant. The system utilizes 3,312 panels and is ground-mounted on the face of the reclamation pond that serves the treatment plant.
“It is our goal to utilize renewable energy sources to power 100 percent of our water supply and wastewater facilities,” said Cordel Stillman, capital projects manager. The water agency uses approximately 20 percent of the energy consumed in Sonoma County for water supply, transmission and treatment.
The total cost of the solar power installations was approximately $12 million. That cost was offset by rebates totaling $4.5 million from PG&E, under the California’s Public Utility Commission’s Self-Generated Incentive Program.