This week’s edition of the Rio Grande Sun newspaper, in Espanola, and I might add, a great paper, had a very enlightening article: “Chama Council Inks Deal On Wastewater Solar Farm”.

Wastewater treatment plants and street lights are usually the biggest energy cost to a city. So I had to read the article twice, as Chama will save $13,000 a year. The 196 kWh solar array to power the wastewater treatment plant was a power purchase agreement, meaning the city’s only cost is an Internet connection over the 20 year contract. The proposal by Clean Energy Solar came in at .074 cents a kilowatt-hour; that’s less than a penny a kilowatt hour or one hundredth the cost that our co-op power supplier, Tri-State is charging us.

The City of Chama will save $260,000 over the 20-year contract or $13,000 every year. Vince Campione, of Clean Energy Solar, indicated that Rio Arriba County and Chama Valley schools were also looking into signing a contract for solar. Mr. Campione also mentioned that the ability to finance the project comes through a federal income tax credit allowing the investors to buy into renewable energy enterprises and write off the nearly 100% of their investment in the first year. That’s basically the same tax credit, oil and gas drillers have enjoyed for 40 years.

Unfortunately, our state legislature in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation committee, chose to table Senate Bill 83, Local Choice Energy, which would have enabled many more entities to take advantage of these terrific cost savings, but on a larger scale. However, hopefully, your school, county, or city looks into the terrific cost savings that renewable solar can now provide.

Sincerely,

s/Ward B. McCartney III

44 Trueno Loop

Belen, NM