New 4.2-megawatt solar array provides clean, sustainable energy source for Regional San’s treatment plant operations
Elk Grove, CA – Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) recently accepted a 21-acre solar energy project built on the grounds of the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP) in Elk Grove. The array is one of the largest in the Sacramento region.
The 4.2-megawatt solar array is a clean and sustainable energy source that will help power SRWTP’s energy-intensive operations. The solar project increases and diversifies Regional San’s green energy portfolio while reducing energy costs.
The array was built on available space within the 3,200-acre grounds of the wastewater treatment plant. The array will produce almost 10 percent of SRWTP’s current energy needs, enough to power approximately 750 homes or offset the carbon emissions from over 350 cars annually.
The project will not only help meet SRWTP’s demand for energy, it will also help fulfill Regional San’s greenhouse gas mitigation commitments that are part of the massive new treatment plant upgrade known as the EchoWater Project. Using solar power will reduce its overall consumption of non-renewable energy, thereby lowering operational emissions.
In a mutually beneficial partnership, Regional San entered into a power purchase agreement with Tesla Energy, who financed construction and will own and operate the array. Under the agreement, Tesla Energy will sell the power produced at the site to Regional San for a 25-year term at a fixed rate.
“The estimated savings to Regional San over the 25-year period is about $10 million,” says Christoph Dobson, Regional San’s Director of Policy and Planning. “This is a substantial financial benefit that can offset operational costs and further our sustainability goals.”
The solar power project is just one of many sustainable practices that underpin Regional San’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
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Regional San provides wastewater conveyance and treatment services to residential, industrial and commercial customers throughout unincorporated Sacramento County; the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento and West Sacramento; and the communities of Courtland and Walnut Grove.
Contact:
Sharon Sargeant
Communication and Media Officer
916.876.6016 (office)
916.202.4512 (cell)
sargeants@sacsewer.com
