Wednesday, March 17, 2010

South Adams County Water & Sanitation District Goes Solar

by South Adams County Water & Sanitation District

March 15, 2010 - It takes a lot of energy to pump water through 385 miles of distribution pipe and deliver it to 51,000 customers on demand.But that's exactly what South Adams County Water and Sanitation District (District) does every day.The District delivers nearly 18 million gallons of water daily during the summer months - five to six times the amount of water delivered during the winter.That increase in summer irrigation demand results in increased energy demand, which means higher electrical rates to cover the costs of building new power plants to supply more energy.


To address these challenges, the District partnered with Integral Energy System (IES) and United Power of Colorado to develop a pilot project to explore the benefits of capturing renewable energy resources in order to meet future energy demands, while keeping costs down.

Fortunately, we reside in Colorado where sunlight is abundant year-round, especially during peak summer demand cycles.Transforming the sun's rays into electrical power for pumping water just seems to make good sense for water providers, energy providers, and more importantly, our customers.

After evaluating several alternatives, the District installed a 4.2kW photovoltaic solar system (PV) at one of the District's twelve irrigation well sites. Although this is a small system, the additional power generated by the solar panels will help offset peak demand costs.Additionally, when the pumps aren't utilizing the electricity produced by the solar panels, an on-site inverter allows the excess electricity to be introduced back onto the power grid, and credited to the District's energy bill for that site.

Integral Energy System (IES) designed and installed the photovoltaic energy generating solar system.IES is a local Colorado energy company that specializes in designing and installing solar energy systems for homes and businesses. IES believes in an integrated approach to assessing energy needs and is dedicated to helping customers save money by reducing energy consumption for a cleaner future.

United Power of Colorado provides electrical power to about half of the District's facilities. United Power is a very active participant in solar energy projects, and provides rebates for customers that install photovoltaic systems through their Renewable Energy Incentives program.

Established in 1951, South Adams County Water and Sanitation District is dedicated to providing affordable and sustainable water resources to nearly 51,000 customers in a 65 square mile region in the greater Commerce City area of Adams County.

www.sacwsd.org
www.IntegralEnergySystems.net
www.unitedpower.com

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