Northside Aquatics Center

New solar panels have been installed at the Northside Aquatics Center replacing the original panels which took the lead in San Antonio in the ’70s when solar energy was a novelty. The vision for solar power made NISD a leader in alternate energy. The replacement panels are part of the “Green Northside” initiative to be environmentally conscious and are funded by School Bond 2004. The panels will pay for themselves within a few years through decreased CPS Energy bills.

Brooks City Base Solar Hot Water Heating
Residential Test Bed

On March 17, 2004 Solar San Antonio, with the support of Solargenix Energy, Brooks City Base, St. Philips College, and the Brooks Energy & Sustainability Lab, conducted a Solar Hot Water Heating training workshop, followed by an installation on a residential housing unit on Brooks City Base.

CPS Solar Power Plant #1

This renewable energy solar demonstration project, dubbed CPS Solar Power Plant #1, is located at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, Texas. This project is a collaborative effort between City Public Service (CPS), the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Institute of Texan Cultures and Solar San Antonio with assistance from the City of San Antonio. It is part of the City Public Service Net Metering Program. The 10kW of power produced by the solar array are sent directly into the electrical grid for use by CPS.

The "kiosk" allows the visitors to the ITC a close-up view of renewable energy in operation. This educational display also informs the general public, especially the children, about renewable energy and solar power.

SolarServe

The City Public Service Northside Customer Service Center (AKA SolarServe) has 5,000 sqft. of solar thermal (hot water) collectors and 2,000 sqft. of photovoltaics (PV) on the roof of the old SoloServe building on San Pedro.

Bexar County Adult Jail Annex

The Bexar County Adult Jail Annex has a solar thermal (hot water) system installed on the roof with a 20,000 gallon storage tank sited at grade level. This system saves the taxpayers about $55,000 per year in energy costs to produce the hot water for the facility. The payback for the installation costs are estimated at just under 5 years.

New Territories Park

The new 9-acre addition to the New Territories Park on the far northwest quadrant of San Antonio incorporated some solar energy. Shown above are the three light fixtures installed at the new parking area and playground. The light fixtures were easier to install, faster to install and less expensive to operate than traditional lighting.

One-Stop building

The newly constructed One-Stop building in San Antonio (S. Flores at S. Alamo) is outfitted with a solar panel array for net metering, a rainwater harvesting system and other passive solar options to ensure affordable life-cycle costs. Congratulations San Antonio!!

Solar-powered school zone

The City of San Antonio has adopted solar-powered school zone warning fixtures as the standard for our schools. Unless there is a issue at the physical location for the fixture (i.e. shade from buildings, etc) only solar-powered fixtures will be used for these applications.

The battery needs to be checked annually. The fixtures are much easier and quicker to install than traditional hard-wired fixtures. They also cost less in the life-cycle analysis because they do not use "generated" electricity--these units produce their own electricity from the solar panel mounted atop of the fixture.

ProgressiveTube Technology PT-50

This collector is a ProgressiveTube Technology PT-50. It is a batch style preheater that holds 50 gallons of water. It works in concert with the gas hot water heater. This unit works for flat roof structures such as commercial buildings. The plumber in this photo is James Graham of Leon Springs Plumbing. James is a licensed plumber and has 30 years of experience in the plumbing industry. (Photo courtesy SBT Designs)

Historic Gardens Phase II project

Another project utilizing solar water heaters is the Historic Gardens Phase II project, by the San Antonio Development Agency (SADA).

Several different floor plans have had solar water heaters installed by Sun Trapper through grant funding by City Public Service.