Amador County – The Amador Water Agency discussed and approved up to 60 hours of engineering work to look at solar power for the agency last week. Steve Dollens of SunnyCal Solar gave a preliminary estimate of agency needs, and took questions. He said degradation of solar panels is 1/10th of 1 percent a year, and some panels in service are 20 years old. Their panels come with 10-year warranties and 25-year guarantees on power output. About $150,000 investment would “probably have payback in about 13 years,” he said. Director Don Cooper said they would need to consider additional fees to cover eventual replacement. Director Gary Thomas asked if the agency can sell power, if there is excess power produced. Wade Kriletich of SunnyCal said one client, a water company, sells excess power to PG&E, with revenue paying 70-80 percent of their employees’ wages. Dollens recommended more in-depth study, with AWA identifying an “internal champion,” possibly Brandt Cook, investing “40-80 man-hours of your own work.” President Bill Condrashoff said he wanted to minimize expenses and did not “want to invest a lot of internal engineering.” Cooper agreed with the concept, but the timing was off, because in May the agency needs to take a line of credit to make a nearly $1 million payment on its debt for the Amador Transmission Pipeline. He said the 40-60 hours of engineering is $7,000 to $10,000. Vice President Debbie Dunn said the board at its last meeting approved a $130,000 study that was “300 houses away from being needed.” Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said they are concerned about the engineering job costs, and where money would come from. The board approved 60 hours of internal engineering work, with the source of funding to be determined during budget meetings. Mancebo said he was unsure of legal parameters. Attorney Steve Kronick said the “Agency Act” referred only to hydroelectric power generation and sales, which the agency can do. He said the Agency Act can be amended, and he has worked on several amendments himself. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, 15 March 2010 01:45
AWA Looks at Solar Power Costs, Legal Standing
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency discussed and approved up to 60 hours of engineering work to look at solar power for the agency last week. Steve Dollens of SunnyCal Solar gave a preliminary estimate of agency needs, and took questions. He said degradation of solar panels is 1/10th of 1 percent a year, and some panels in service are 20 years old. Their panels come with 10-year warranties and 25-year guarantees on power output. About $150,000 investment would “probably have payback in about 13 years,” he said. Director Don Cooper said they would need to consider additional fees to cover eventual replacement. Director Gary Thomas asked if the agency can sell power, if there is excess power produced. Wade Kriletich of SunnyCal said one client, a water company, sells excess power to PG&E, with revenue paying 70-80 percent of their employees’ wages. Dollens recommended more in-depth study, with AWA identifying an “internal champion,” possibly Brandt Cook, investing “40-80 man-hours of your own work.” President Bill Condrashoff said he wanted to minimize expenses and did not “want to invest a lot of internal engineering.” Cooper agreed with the concept, but the timing was off, because in May the agency needs to take a line of credit to make a nearly $1 million payment on its debt for the Amador Transmission Pipeline. He said the 40-60 hours of engineering is $7,000 to $10,000. Vice President Debbie Dunn said the board at its last meeting approved a $130,000 study that was “300 houses away from being needed.” Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said they are concerned about the engineering job costs, and where money would come from. The board approved 60 hours of internal engineering work, with the source of funding to be determined during budget meetings. Mancebo said he was unsure of legal parameters. Attorney Steve Kronick said the “Agency Act” referred only to hydroelectric power generation and sales, which the agency can do. He said the Agency Act can be amended, and he has worked on several amendments himself. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Latest from
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