Southside Public Water Authority and Southside School District have partnered to implement co-located solar arrays. By sharing a site and reducing fixed costs, the Authority and District increased the amount they will save over the life of the projects—estimated at $1M and $2.3M, respectively. Entegrity’s team designed the systems and is currently on-site for construction.
Water treatment and distribution make up the majority of the Authority’s energy consumption. Southside Public Water Authority’s new project will significantly reduce its operating expenses.
“Our services attribute to the daily activities of our community, so we wanted this project to be fiscally responsible. Adding this infrastructure adds value to our facilities and helps us stabilize the impact of energy on our customers’ water rates for the coming years,” stated Southside Public Water Authority Manager Scott Williams.
The District’s 1.44 MW array is expected to be completed by early 2022. “Southside schools and taxpayers will benefit from this project as it greatly reduces the cost to keep our facilities running. We can now shift school funds from utility bills to education efforts,” added Dion Stevens, Southside School District Superintendent.
Senator James Sturch commented, “Southside Public Water Authority and Southside School District become better stewards of the community and boost our area’s economic development with this venture. As a proponent of the Solar Access Act, I’m excited to see Southside take advantage of these savings.”
