Staff members at the Boulder (Colo.) Wastewater Treatment Plant know exactly how much they will pay for about 15 percent of the facility’s electricity 20 years from now. That’s because of a 1 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system that began supplying power to the plant last July.
The city’s Environmental Action Division developed the idea a few years ago when solar developer EyeOn Energy Ltd. approached officials about leasing five acres of city property at the treatment plant in exchange for a purchased power agreement (PPA) at rates lower than those from the local utility, Xcel Energy.
The resulting contract locks in
