Politics & Government
San Diego County Water Authority Saves Money, You Save Money
7,500 new solar panels supply power to SDCWA facilities, saving about $1.7 million over 20 years.
The (SDCWA) announced Thursday that three of its facilities now generate power with , with an expected savings of $1.7 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.
That savings is a good sign in times of . As Santee Patch columnsit has written: "We here in San Diego County are ."
Costs that SDCWA incur, or money that they save, eventually to Padre Dam Water District and most everyone in San Diego County and Santee that uses water.
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The 7,500 panels will annually produce about 2.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.
This is a big step towards catching up with Padre Dam's , a 14,000 panel sustainable energy project that covers the rooftops of the RV storage facility at the Santee Lakes, that recently won an innovation award that comes with statewide recognition.
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SDCWA's Kearny Mesa headquarters is now 60 percent powered by the solar energy, its operations center in Escondido is 55 percent green powered and a water treatment plant in San Marcos is now 25 percent solar powered.
"The installation of these systems is truly a great project because it reflects our commitment to manage costs for our ratepayers, while helping us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," said Michael Hogan, the chairman of the board of the CWA.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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