In the desert, rainfall may be scarce but the tap water supply is reliable and sunlight is plentiful. Phoenix (Ariz.) Water Services is harnessing sunshine to create electricity for its Lake Pleasant drinking water treatment plant. By using solar power to offset 50 percent of the facility’s needs, the utility is helping stabilize rates for 20 years and saving more than $4 million in energy costs.
To serve a population of 1.5 million, Phoenix Water has 160 employees who operate five drinking water treatment plants and 16 wells with a total capacity of 680 mgd (average flow 330 mgd). The extra
