Texas’ Largest Solar Project Completed at Pearl

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A 200-kilowatt solar power project, currently the largest in Texas, has been completed at the former Pearl Brewery redevelopment, partners CPS Energy and Pearl announced today.

“Texas should be a prime location for solar, but it currently generates a relatively small amount of solar energy”

The project at the Full Goods Building at Pearl includes an interactive display offering information about solar energy with real-time updates on the amount of power produced and environmental equivalents in terms of pollutants avoided. Pearl solar display content is also available at http://pearl.kiosk-view.com

The $1.35 million solar installation was funded with $950,000 from Pearl and $400,000 from CPS Energy in a public/private partnership to test the viability of solar energy in a large, real-world commercial application, said Milton Lee, CPS Energy CEO.

“This project gives us an opportunity to gather information right here in San Antonio’s climate, real information about what this size solar array can do to offset the energy demands of a large building in our weather conditions, and that information will be very valuable moving forward,” Lee said.

The solar array, which was designed and installed by Meridian Solar, will generate about one-quarter of the building’s total energy needs. During peak operating conditions, when the system produces more energy than the building requires, excess electrical power is sent to CPS Energy for other users.

“Texas should be a prime location for solar, but it currently generates a relatively small amount of solar energy,” said Bob Sohn, senior advisor for Pearl planning. “Our hope is that our solar partnership with CPS Energy will serve to encourage further development of solar projects in Texas.”

The Full Goods Building, a former warehouse redeveloped as mixed-use office, retail, restaurant and residential space, is a “learning laboratory” for environmental initiatives. Built to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards, the building features a Daikin mechanical system for cooling and heating that uses less energy than other systems and requires no chilled water to operate. Energy conservation measures include high-performance insulation, reflective roofing, high-performance glass, solar blocking screens and low-energy lighting.

The building also includes a rainwater collection system featuring a 22,500-gallon capacity, with rainwater stored in recycled beer cisterns to supplement irrigation of the drought-resistant Xeriscaping at the site. Similar systems are in place across Pearl.

“Pearl is committed to exploring and modeling all of the ways it is possible to revitalize and enhance urban spaces and demonstrate the ‘power’ of sustainable development,” Sohn said.

The former Pearl Brewery, a landmark in operation from 1883 until 2001, is located on 22 acres alongside the San Antonio River north of downtown. Pearl is being transformed into a culinary and cultural destination featuring the local flavors of San Antonio. www.pearlbrewery.com

CPS Energy is the nation’s largest municipally owned energy company providing both natural gas and electric service. CPS Energy serves approximately 690,000 electric customers and almost 320,000 natural gas customers in and around America’s seventh-largest city. For more CPS Energy information, visit www.cpsenergy.com.

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