SAN ANTONIO – Construction is underway on the largest municipal solar project in Texas, a step the City of San Antonio hopes can be a national example for rooftop solar generation.
The city council passed the measure in Nov. 2023. The $30 million initiative advances the city’s goal of attaining a net-zero capacity for all municipal buildings by 2040, a step outlined in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
“This initiative sets a national example for an innovative approach in expanding rooftop solar through municipal building installation,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. “Collectively, the municipal rooftop projects will offset an estimated 11% of the City’s electricity consumption from its buildings, significantly boosting our sustainability efforts.”
The project funds the installation of 42 rooftop, parking and park canopy solar systems at city facilities.
“This project is just one of the many programs and initiatives to help us reach our net-zero goal outlined in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan,” Chief Sustainability Officer Douglas Melnick said. “Sunshine is abundant in San Antonio, and it’s exciting to harness that to bring about climate action and financial savings for our City.”
So far, six of the 42 projects have had systems commissioned, according to a news release from the Office of Sustainability.
A map of those facilities can be viewed below:
The city hosted a community event and commissioning ceremony on Thursday evening at the Southwest Service Center, one of the six facilities. This site features solar canopies and provides 200 covered parking spaces for City employees.
The 653kW system is designed to offset approximately 70% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption, the release said.
Big Sun Solar is developing the program through a service agreement with the city.