San Antonio TX to power brewery with solar photovoltaics array

State�s largest solar project to power San Antonio development

— SAN ANTONIO (AP) The redevelopment of San Antonio�s landmark Pearl Brewery will include Texas' largest solar energy project, an installation of panels powering office, retail and residential space, developers said.

Silver Ventures, which is redeveloping the former brewery, announced plans Monday for the $1.35 million effort to install 758 photovoltaic panels atop a former warehouse, which once stored finished beer.

The panels will be capable of generating 200 kilowatts, or about one-fourth of the power needed in the 67,000-square-foot building. The system is the equivalent of 50 solar-powered homes.

CPS Energy, a city-owned utility, is contributing $400,000 to the project. An official said it's an economically viable project that provides a chance to measure the benefits of solar power. The agreement also serves as a model for other commercial uses.

"We've had a goal of testing solar energy technology in a real-world setting," said Paula Miles, CPS Energy director of energy research and technology initiatives. "Public-private partnerships are going to become the way to get things done. And this, for us, is one of our first forays into that brave new world."
Noah Kaye, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association in Washington, D.C., said a 3- to 4-kilowatt system can power a 2,200-square-foot house that uses 10,000 kilowatt-hours a year.

He said the brewery's 200-kilowatt system is a substantial installation for a midsized to large commercial facility.

The state's existing largest solar project is at Fort Sam Houston, which supplements its energy supply with solar panels. Developers plan to have the Pearl Brewery panels in place by the end of the year.

Bob Sohn, an adviser to Silver Ventures on the Pearl Brewery development, said the project will give visitors a chance to learn about how solar power works. The system will show the amount of energy the rooftop panels are generating, he said.

Bill Barker, executive director of the nonprofit group Solar San Antonio, said the brewery's solar project is likely to attract visitors.

"There will be visitors to the site who'll want to see the largest solar installation in the state," he said.

Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com