Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant Solar Power Project

• Construction Information
• Solar Array Facts
• Benefits of using solar electricity
• Project sponsors and development team

Background

The City of Boulder and EyeOn Energy Ltd., have partnered to provide the Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), 4049 75th St., with a 1 megawatt (1,000,000 watt) solar electric generating facility. The WWTP will directly benefit from this program as it will receive and use all of the solar power generated. The City of Boulder and the community in general will also benefit from the sustainable, environmental improvement.

EyeOn Energy Ltd. is an Independent Power Producer and provides energy services to customers that include industrial, commercial, public sector entities and utilities in the western United States. EyeOn Energy Ltd. will use the Investment Tax Credit to off-set the cost of the system to create a worth while public/private partnership.

• Informational news release

<Return to the top of the page>

Construction Information:

Construction of of the WWTP Solar Project began in January 2009. Construction is anticipated to take five to seven months and will occur in two major phases

Phase I - Subsurface work

• Excavate trenches (approximately one foot wide by two feet deep)
• Install PVC conduit
• Cover with concrete/slurry and back-fill
• Ram support posts (930 total)
• Drill holes, set concrete and install perimeter fence poles
• Build berms and concrete pads for two inverters and one transformer

  PV panel installation has begun, Aug. 2009

Phase II - Surface work

• Build frames
• Install modules (PV panels)
• Pull wire and connections
• Install fencing
• Hydro seed disturbed areas and clean-up

<Return to the top of the page>

WWTP solar panel array facts:

• 1,000,300 Watts (1 megawatt) of photovoltaic panels
• The system is comprised of 4,464 solar panels with a maximum power output of 225 watts each
• Each panel is approximately 14 percent efficient
• The system will generate about 1,425,000 kWh of power per year
  • Depending on the number of variables, the system could produce a maximum of 1,552,000 kWh of power per year
  • The power, if produced by coal, would consume 1,538,876 pounds of coal
    • The coal consumed would produce:
      • Approximately 3,204,825 pounds of carbon dioxide
      • Approximately 18,252 pounds of sulfur dioxide
      • Approximately 8,550 pounds of nitrous oxide
• Design and installation of the array is being completed by Solon America.

<Return to the top of the page>

What are the benefits of using solar energy?

• Environmental advantage - Solar power is one of the most benign electric generation resources. Solar cells generate electricity without air or water emissions, noise, vibration, habitat impact or waste generation.
• Fuel risk advantage - Unlike fossil and nuclear fuels, solar energy has no risk of fuel price volatility or delivery risk. Although there is variability in the amount and timing of sunlight over the day, season and year, a properly sized and configured system can be designed to be highly reliable while providing a long-term, fixed price electric supply.
• Location advantage - Unlike other renewable resources such as hydroelectric and wind power, solar power is generally located at a customer site due to the universal availability of sunlight. As a result, solar power limits the expense of, and energy losses associated with, transmission and distribution from large scale electric plants to the end users. For most consumers seeking an environmentally friendly power alternative, solar power is the only viable choice because it can be located in urban and suburban environments.
• Retail rate benchmark advantage - Unlike biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric and wind power generation, which are location-dependent and sell primarily to the wholesale market, solar power competes with retail electric rates as it is customer-sited and supplements a customer's electricity purchased at retail rates from the utility network.
• Peak energy generation advantage - Solar power is well-suited to match peak energy needs as maximum sunlight hours generally correspond to typical peak demand periods when electricity prices are their highest. These characteristics increase the value of solar power as compared to other renewable resources that do not align with peak demand periods.
• Modularity - Solar power products can be deployed in many sizes and configurations to meet the specific needs of the customer.
• Reliability - With no moving parts or minimal regular required maintenance, solar power systems are among the most reliable forms of electricity generation methods.

Project Sponsors and Development Team

City of Boulder - Solar energy consumer
Xcel Energy - Utility Sponsor
EyeOn Energy Ltd. - Developer
SOLON Corp. - Solar Design/Builder
Lord & Reynolds Electric - Electrical Contractor
Krische Construction - General Contractor
Hartman Ely Investments - Development Consultant

Last Updated on Monday, 31 August 2009 09:34