Public and Private Enterprise Team Up Giving Rise to One of County’s Largest Solar Energy Projects
Laguna County Sanitation District, which provides municipal wastewater services to 35,000 residents in the unincorporated Santa Maria – Orcutt area of northern Santa Barbara County, and Premier Power Renewable Energy, Inc. (OTCBB:PPRW), a global leader in the development, design, engineering and construction of solar power systems for commercial, government and utility markets globally, jointly announced today they are initiatinga 1.12 megawatt (MW) DC solar energy system at Laguna County Sanitation District’s wastewater reclamation facility. The installation will be one of the largest solar energy projects in Santa Barbara County to date.
The solar installation will use over 4,000 high efficiency solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on a district-owned, 4 acre land area and convert it into a clean energy producing site. Given the optimal design of the ground-mounted solar system, the district will receive the most advantageous electricity production, which will allow it to stabilize long-term electricity rates, ultimately benefiting its rate payers. “Laguna County Sanitation District is a classic example of a public entity taking significant environmental actions in its everyday activity. While the district collects and treats wastewater before returning it into the environment, it also uses electricity from the utility grid in order to fulfill its daily commitment,” said Dean Marks, Chief Executive Officer at Premier Power. “The district is also a great example where environmental measures can join forces with capitalism to bring clean, renewable energy into its operations. By locating solar power generating stations on site, the district is making dual-purpose use out of its land, reducing the load on the grid and controlling its costs.”
Joni Gray, Santa Barbara County 4 th District Supervisor, added “This project is a move toward energy independence that will protect our ratepayers by giving us greater control over future energy costs. We will now be supplying 60% of our energy needs on site.” Martin Wilder, district manager at the Laguna County Sanitation District further stated, “Considering the environmental and financial benefits of using clean, solar energy to aid our sanitation district,the decision to implement the project was an easy choice. The solution provided by Premier Power is economical to operate and is worth the capital investment.”
Construction is anticipated to begin in June with the system being fully operational in September 2011.
