SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio City Council approved a $30,772,872 contract with Big Sun Solar Thursday for a massive solar panel project on city property. The project would install solar panels on city rooftops, and parking canopies at 42 municipal sites.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Thursday it would be one of the largest such municipal projects on the country.
"This will be the largest solar installation by a municipality in the entire state, and the second largest in the entire country," Nirenberg said. "We are saving money...and we are reducing emissions at the same time."
Staff said the city won't actually need to pay the full amount of the project. State Energy Conservation Office loans would provide around $2.5 million federal tax credits could pay for another $10 million. The city would go into debt for $18.3 million.
The solar project would eventually save the city $1.8 million a year in utility costs, but staff said it would still take at least 10 years for the project to break even on the city's investment. The project is currently expected to save the city between $7 million and $11 million over 25 years. Big Sun Solar would provide maintenance for the project during that 25 year period.
Councilman John Courage said the project would still help meet city goals even if it only broke even.
"Even if we didn't save a dollar, we are saving energy. We are meeting our goal as a city to create a more environmentally friendly San Antonio," Courage said.
Courage also said the project would bring money into the San Antonio economy. Other councilmembers said the project would help San Antonio lead by example for similar solar projects.
"It's innovative, it's creative. Others are going to look at what we are doing here and are going to want to duplicate this," Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said. "If we were in deficit I would be ok with it because we are leading here and this is something that not everyone is doing right now."
The San Antonio City Council approved the project with Big Sun Solar with a 9-1 vote Thursday morning. Councilman Mark Whyte said he didn't feel good about going into debt over the project.
"I appreciate the mission here and certainly all of the hard work (by staff). For me, it's matter of tax payer dollars and what we are doing with our money," Whyte said. "It's a large amount of debt, 18 million dollars, without any voter approval. It's a large amount of money."
The project is scheduled to be finished in 2026.
All solar panel designs were provided by Big Sun Solar