El Paso's Largest Solar Project Comes Online
El Paso’s Largest Solar Project ( Solar Thermal Magazine)
PSEG Solar Source today joined with El Paso Electric (EPE) and juwi solar, Inc. (JSI) to formally dedicate the PSEG El Paso Solar Center. The 13-megawatt (MWdc) facility is El Paso’s largest.
The plant is located on 100-acre site adjacent to the existing El Paso Electric Newman Generating Station in Northeast El Paso. EPE will purchase the electricity produced by the solar facility through a 30-year power purchase agreement. PSEG Solar Source has 10 facilities in operation, totaling 109.7 MWs, with another facility under construction.
“The El Paso Solar Center is another step toward a sustainable future for all,” said Ernesto Rodriguez, Vice President of Business Development at PSEG Solar Source.
This is a great part of the country for a business like ours to be in. We’ve been greeted here with open arms and the climate here is very business friendly. Strong partnerships like this one have made solar a growing part of America’s energy mix, to the benefit of our nation’s energy security, economy and the environment.
The facility will generate enough clean energy to power more than 3,800 homes. This project will also displace more than 26,000 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of taking 3,300 cars off the road, and will save more than 294,264 gallons of water annually.
“We continue to build a strong and balanced portfolio that includes renewable energy technologies in order to meet the growing energy needs of our community,” said Tom Shockley, Chief Executive Officer at EPE.
By investing in cost-effective solar energy such as the PSEG project, EPE remains at the forefront in the solar energy industry. We remain committed to look for opportunities to invest in this technology as it benefits all of our customers.
With the addition of this 13-megawatt (MW) solar facility, EPE now has 6% of its dedicated energy generation coming from renewable energy resources, doubling its utility-scale solar portfolio in less than one year and making EPE a national leader in solar development.
“This project was a success due to the excellent teamwork between El Paso Electric, PSEG and JSI, in collaboration with the City of El Paso and the El Paso Water Utility,” said Dan Forrester, project manager for JSI.
We have been impressed with the skill and ability of the local labor force to prepare the site and implement some of the solar industry’s most cutting-edge technologies.
The facility was built and will be operated by JSI.
