US wastewater plant gets 240-kW solar canopy, cuts power use by 30%
A new solar canopy installed at a wastewater treatment plant in City of Pendleton, Oregon, cools the facility and generates power. It’s estimated that the solar canopy can generate 325,000 kWh of electricity annually, offsetting significant energy costs.
The first of its kind in the region, the innovative solar canopy was installed by city officials and Massachusetts-based energy solutions provider Ameresco.
The 240-kilowatt (kW) solar PV canopy installed at the Pendleton Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery Facility (WWTRRF) represents a major milestone in the city’s ongoing efforts to enhance energy resilience.
Solar canopy helps reduce energy costs
“This project marks a major step forward in our commitment to developing efficient and resilient solutions for our city,” said Kyle Willman, Superintendent, at Wastewater Treatment Resource Recovery Facility.
“The solar canopy not only helps reduce our energy costs and environmental footprint, but it also enhances the performance of our wastewater treatment facility in ways that benefit the entire community. We’re grateful for our partnership with Ameresco and for the state and local support that made this forward-thinking investment possible.”
Apart from providing on-site energy production and cost savings, the canopy shades the WWTRRF’s chlorine contact chamber, helping to improve water quality, reduce effluent temperature and support a healthier aquatic ecosystem.
“We celebrated a major milestone in our ongoing infrastructure improvement partnership with the City of Pendleton, Oregon, at a ribbon cutting ceremony for our solar canopy project,” said Ameresco in a statement.
Innovative energy solutions
The project is part of a multiphase infrastructure improvement initiative and was delivered through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Ameresco, who provided price and performance guarantees and helped ensure participation from disadvantaged and local businesses, according to a press release.
“We are proud to partner with the City of Pendleton in its mission to build a resilient future,” said Lou Maltezos, President of Central & Western USA, Canada Regions at Ameresco.
“This solar canopy project is a great example of how innovative energy solutions can deliver meaningful economic benefits and support essential city infrastructure. We’re not only improving operational efficiency but also contributing to the health of the local ecosystem and empowering the community with long-term energy savings.”
The project will offset approximately 30% of the WWTRRF’s total energy consumption.
The Pendleton WWTRRF project was funded through a combination of state grants (including ODOE’s C-REP grant), utility incentives and city resources. As part of the City’s ongoing efforts to increase the resilience and reliability of the WWTRRF, plans are underway for a future battery energy storage system (BESS) to complement the solar canopy and further decrease the operational costs of the facility, as per the release.
The project reduce costs, enhance resilience, and boosts effort to achieve net zero in the global energy transition.