Online archives from the Oroville Mercury Register
August 20, 2002

Nation's first solar wastewater treatment plant to be unveiled in Oroville
By Mary Weston/Staff Writer 

The Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region (SCOR) announced this week that its wastewater treatment plant, now powered by the local power grid, will be converted to 80 percent solar energy making it the first predominately solar wastewater treatment plant in the nation.

The 520 kilowatt solar power system being installed by Sun Power & Geothermal Energy Co., Inc. (SPG) and Geothermal Energy of San Rafael, Calif., will supply most of the plant's electrical needs.

"The project is two and a half months along and about 25 percent done," said Superintendent of SC-OR, Ray Sousa. 

Souza said over 100 people are expected to attend the ground-breaking today at 4 p.m., on 2880 South Fifth Ave. 

Hobbie Chevrolet loaned a van to conduct tours of the solar panel project. Souza said the project spans three acres, about 5,500 solar panels. 

The plant serves 15,000 families and numerous industries daily in the Oroville area. 

Greg Kerwin, of Ann Hill Communications, said their company has researched solar projects and compiled a list of projects in the U.S. The one-half megawatt plant in Oroville is the fifth-largest solar powered project in the nation and the first to be powered primarily by the sun, Kurwin said. They expect the plant to become a model for similar public utility projects across the country, said Kurwin, also a spokesman for SPG. 

"One-half megawatt is really huge for solar," Kerwin said.

The largest solar panel project is the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (MUD). MUD installed a 4 megawatt solar panel project at the old nuclear site at Rancho Seco. 

The Oroville plant treats approximately 1.2 billion gallons of wastewater a year. The power generated from the solar panels will provide enough electricity to treat 80 percent of the plant's wastewater. 

The system will go on line in November and is the largest dual-tilt solar panel array in the world, Kerwin said. The panels will produce enough electricity to supply 200 average homes. 

The panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. The facility will generate more power than the plant needs during long sunny summer days. Excess energy spins out to the power grid, where neighbors can use it. 

The sewage plant will continue to use PG&E electricity at night for the treatment plant, which runs all the time. At the end of the year, the utility company credits the plant for the power it sent to the grid, reducing the treatment plant's annual electric bill. 

Over the last two years, SC-OR saw its energy costs soar by 41 percent, Kerwin said. Normally, electric bill increases would be passed on to rate payers in the form of higher sewer bills. 

The Board of Commissioners decided SC-OR could gain independence from the local grid during daylight hours with the solar power installation, Kerwin said. 

SPG and Geothermal Energy is California's fastest growing installer of solar power facilities for private homes, businesses and governmental facilities, said Dan Thompson, founder and president of SPG and Geothermal Energy. The company has recently opened an office in Oroville.

"The SC-OR installation shows what solar is really capable of," Thompson said. "It can power a critical utility for an entire district, pay for itself in a few years, save money and do it cleanly."