Federal grants bring solar and wind energy projects to Cameron Count

Cameron County is about to be a little greener thanks to a $1.7 million federal grant to install solar panels on four county buildings in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito, and $1.8 million worth of solar and wind technology at UTB-TSC’s International Technology, Education and Commerce center.

Cameron County will contribute a required 20-percent match, or $428,331, for the project; the federal funds are being funneled through the State Energy Convervation Office (SECO) to alternative energy projects across the state. The funds are part of the federal stimulus act.

The ITEC center’s grant is for $1.5 million, with a total project cost of $1.8 million.

The $1.8 million will also be used to install a 206-kilowatt hybrid system that will include a 106-kilowatt, 110-foot wind turbine.

Robert Lopez, director of administrative services and point man on energy conservation for Cameron County, says it’s a subject close to his heart.

At his prodding, the county commissioners court adopted a 'resolution to go green' last year, Lopez said. Energy-efficiency audits were conducted on five county buildings. Solar panels were among the recommendations. With the audit results in hand, Lopez already had much of the information he needed when he later learned about the SECO grants. Grant applicants had only about a month to submit all the necessary information by the program’s Oct. 30 deadline.

'It was a pretty lengthy process,' Lopez said. 'They asked for everything under the sun.'

Without hard numbers, he estimated that the county’s solar panels will cut energy costs by around 35 percent. Panels will be installed on the county courthouse/administration building and the Oscar C. Dancy Building in Brownsville, and on the Harlingen and San Benito county annex buildings. Lopez hopes this is just the beginning.

'(Alternative energy) saves money for the taxpayers,' he said. 'Our county residents can see that the county is doing something to become more efficient and hopefully keep the tax rate stable.'

The ITEC center’s solar panel/wind turbine project is already underway and plans are in place to hire a project director, said John Sossi, ITEC’s business incubator director. While the solar panels will be on the roof, the turbine will most likely be located at the northwest corner of the ITEC campus, though that could change.

The turbine and solar panels will only offset energy costs at ITEC by about 5 percent, he noted, though their educational value is the important thing.

'It’s a good educational tool and potential research tool for our faculty and for students,' Sossi said. 'I think the educational part is as big as anything else.'

Jill Francisco, a UTB-TSC research associate who coordinated the grant application, says it will be possible to monitor online how much energy the hybrid turbine/solar panel system is generating at any given time.

'It’ll be a nice demostrantion tool for the community,' she said.

And the turbine will look cool.

'It enhances the technology part of the ITEC center,' Sossi said.

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Steve Clark is a reporter for The Brownsville Herald.