Expansive solar energy project to take root in Texas
July 28, 2012Country’s largest municipal solar energy project hosted in San Antonio
The largest municipal solar energy project in the U.S. has found a home in San Antonio, Texas. The solar energy project is the result of a partnership between CPS Energy and OCI Solar Power, the latter of which will operate the solar power facility that will be built in San Antonio. The solar energy project is expected to bring a number of benefits to the state beyond the realm of clean energy generation. The project could help bolster the state’s economy by created a number of new jobs.
400MW project to create 800 jobs
The project aims to bring 400-megawatts of solar energy to Texas. More than 800 long terms jobs are expected to be created through the project, which will include construction and maintenance. These jobs, as well as the energy saving prospects of the projects, are expected to add $700 million to the economy annually. OCI Solar Power expects that this will be the first of many solar energy projects that take root in the state and already has plans to construct additional solar energy systems that will eventually provide power to 70,000 homes.
Economics begins to direct more attention to alternative energy
Solar energy has been growing in popularity throughout the U.S. States that experience a large amount of solar radiations, such as California, Nevada, and Texas, have taken a keen interest in the energy. These states could see promising results from their use of solar energy due to their large expanses of open land that is exposed to the sun. The economic prospects of solar energy have become one of its most attractive features as many states are eager to find ways to bolster their economies.
Solar energy project expected to be complete by 2016
The solar energy project is expected to begin construction in 2013. More than 50-megawatts of solar energy will be available by mid-2013, with the remaining 350-megawatts being installed in stages throughout 2016. Once completed, it will be the largest municipal solar energy system in the country, unless another, larger project manages to be completed first.
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