January 11, 2011 - CPS names two firms in mega-solar project - by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
Under a bright winter sun Wednesday, CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby introduced the companies selected to build one of the country’s largest solar projects and a solar manufacturing plant in San Antonio, an investment of more than $100 million.OCI Solar Power, whose parent is a South Korean chemical company, will build the solar farms using panels from a factory to be built here by Nexolon, another South Korean firm with close ties to OCI and a builder of solar cell components.
November 29, 2011 - UTSA solar project may shine with info - by Colin McDonald, San Antonio Express-News:
The 170-kilowatt solar grid split between two roofs at the main campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio is not groundbreaking for the power it will generate or the money it will save. Every second, 800 signal points send in data via wireless network, measuring everything from temperature and the sun’s irradiance to power production in both alternating and direct current. The data will be stored in multiple servers that will be available to UTSA and the National Research Energy Laboratory in Denver.
November 2, 2011 - CPS starting over on bids for solar power - by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
After months of delay, CPS Energy is throwing out all the proposals from companies to build 400 megawatts of solar power here and will begin the process anew because the utility thinks there’s a better deal out there.Twelve finalists had been whittled down to two to build what could be one of the largest solar projects in the world, with CPS buying all the power from it. Many expected that a winner would be announced soon.
August 23, 2011 - New era for solar power - by Jennifer Hiller, San Antonio Express-News:
Of course the buyer of a new luxury home can consider installing solar panels. Why not? But for the first time in San Antonio, solar panels are becoming an option for homebuyers at an affordable price point, and in the kind of new homes that many people purchase: production homes by large, national builders. Supporters of solar energy say it’s a sign that green building has become more widespread in the market and that local homebuyers are growing increasingly sophisticated about energy efficiency.
January 27, 2011 – New San Antonio Terminal Generating Clean Power – U.S. Department of Energy:
In early 2010, the City of San Antonio’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program staff quickly realized a golden opportunity lay right at their fingertips. The opening of the new San Antonio International Airport terminal was just months away and the team knew that a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the airport would offer a highly visible location to showcase renewable energy technologies, help the city accelerate its “Mission Verde” sustainable development plan and create local jobs.
January 19, 2011 – CPS Energy sees new era dawning with solar - by Colin McDonald, San Antonio Express-News:
CPS Energy’s plan to add another 50 megawatts of solar power and leverage it for economic development was lauded Tuesday as CEO Doyle Beneby described the utility and San Antonio as poised to be national leaders in solar.
“This is doing exactly what we had hoped Doyle would do,” said Richard Perez, president and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “We have been looking at it (CPS) as an economic engine because it provides cheap energy; now it’s something entirely different. … I think it’s a new day for CPS Energy.”
January 18, 2011 – Castroville eyes solar farm on airport property - by Zeke MacCormack, San Antonio Express-News:
Castroville officials are in talks with a Colorado firm that wants to construct a solar farm on municipal property off FM 471 and sell power generated there to CPS Energy.
Negotiations with juwi solar inc. over a long-term lease on up to 200 acres by Castroville Municipal Airport were approved Monday in a 4-1 vote of the City Council.
November 10, 2010 – Local solar farm gets powered up- by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
Under a blue sky, the sun beamed down on a phalanx of elected officials, industry executives — and 214,500 glinting blue solar panels.The former cornfield on the Southeast Side was dedicated Tuesday as the largest working solar farm in Texas. The 140-acre site now is generating enough energy to power 1,800 homes, emissions-free.
October 8, 2010 – Austin -vs- San Antonio: Green Power SmackDown! - by Mike Sloan, PowerSmack.org:
In our last post, we looked at the surprising downslide of Austin Energy relative to others in Texas in terms of both affordability and renewable energy. Here we compare AE against CPS Energy, the San Antonio municipal utility.
October 8, 2010 - CPS to buy output of 3 new solar sites - by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
Perhaps even more than the 30 megawatts of solar power CPS Energy has agreed to buy, city and utility officials are excited about the possibility of additional economic development its new partnership with SunEdison could bring.
October 7, 2010 – CPS Energy to announce new solar deal - by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
CPS Energy today will announce a solar partnership with SunEdison that will result in three 10-megawatt installations being built in the utility’s service area, the Express-News has learned.
August 13, 2010 - Solar hot water systems catching on – by Tracy Idell-Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News:
When people think about solar energy, they usually envision roof panels that turn the sun’s heat into electrons. Often overlooked is an older, simpler solar technology — using the sun’s rays to directly heat water.
April 15, 2010 – Texas’ Largest Solar Project Breaks Ground In San Antonio - CPS Energy
CPS Energy, Duke Energy and juwi solar Inc. are proud to announce that work crews recently started construction of Texas’ largest solar farm on a 139-acre site in southeast San Antonio.The Blue Wing Solar Project, a 14-megawatt (MW) solar PV installation, is being built near the intersection of IH 37 and U.S. 181 on a site that will be clearly visible from both highways. The project will consist of 214,500 ground-mounted First Solar thin film panels. Blue Wing will generate an estimated 26,570 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each year, enough energy to power about 1,800 San Antonio area homes a year.
August 24, 2009 – CPS Energy inks partnership deal for solar energy - San Antonio Business Journal
CPS Energy and Juwi Solar Inc. have agreed to jointly develop a new solar energy project in Southeast San Antonio.
July 16, 2009 – St. Philip’s readies students for “green” day – MySA.com
St. Philip’s College will unveil its Power Generation and Alternative Energy program this fall, and it promises hand-on experience in wind and solar power.
June 25, 2009 – Solar Energy has power to save money – Gazette-Enterprise
Long before the green movement took effect — think 46 years ago — there was only one well-known person in the U.S. who was putting solar power to use in his daily life.
June 22, 2009 – Tessera Solar and CPS Energy sign agreement - KENS5
The SunCatcher power system is manufactured by Tessera Solar’s sister company, Stirling Energy Systems. The SunCatcher system uses precision mirrors attached to a parabolic dish to concentrate the sun’s energy onto a high-efficiency Stirling Engine. Each dish can generate up to 25,000 watts of power and has been certified by Sandia National Laboratories as having the highest sun-to-grid energy conversion in the world.
March 29, 2009 – Harnessing the sun at home – MySA.com
Steve Hixon has one request for CPS Energy: Get rid of the digital meters on his home and bring back the old-fashioned wheel that turns fast or slow depending on power usage.After Hixon installed solar panels on his San Antonio home in 2007 and 2008, he actually watched the dial change directions as his solar array fed electricity back into the system.
September 12, 2008 – Rebates help residents go green for less green – MySA.com
Orthodontist Robert “Tito” Norris saw power in the sun. But until recently, he didn’t see solar energy as a financially feasible means of powering his far North Side home.
04/09/2008 – San Antonio designated a “Solar America City” by DOE - MySA.com
“San Antonio has won an important opportunity to advance the use of solar energy through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The successful effort to snare the $200,000 grant was led by Solar San Antonio’s Bill Sinkin…”
March 27, 2007 – Pros and cons of alternative power - MySA.com
Stephen Ackley’s favorite moment as the owner of a solar-panel system for generating electricity came when a meter reader told him with alarm: “Something’s wrong with your meter!” “I told him, ‘No — something’s very right,’” Ackley said.