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How fitting that on the three days prior to the big announcement about new energy we’ve had record-breaking heat and sun. Yes, today San Antonio seemed to be on the cusp of a new era in the city’s economy. As CPS CEO Doyle Beneby and Mayor Julian Castro took the stage opposite each other, they were flanked by executives from five new energy companies who not only announced new initiatives and investments for San Antonio’s energy economy but the exciting news that three were relocating their headquarters to San Antonio. As Mayor Castro said in his remarks “We make announcements today that truly define the nexus between sustainability and job creation.” So what’s in this brighter and greener future for San Antonio?
CPS has been a leader in the nation in investing in and leveraging sustainable energy as a part of its energy portfolio. With its Windtricity program CPS has been a major consumer of wind power generated throughout Texas and distributed to CPS customers through an investment sharing program where customers help bear some of the costs of developing wind energy sources through premium purchasing. Granted the cost is more but initial investment in any new technology is always at a premium. Giving customers the ability to help invest helps future generations in San Antonio by decreasing reliance in fossil fuels.
CPS has also helped increase its sustainable energy program by partnering with Sun Edison in developing 30 megawatts of solar energy resources in Bexar County. The plants would go online sometime at the end of 2012. Along with that announcement, Beneby said that in 30 days CPS will have selected a provider for another 50 megawatts of solar energy including development of manufacturing facilities in Bexar County for not only that facility but for other solar projects around the nation, providing more jobs for San Antonio.
Along with those announcements were two that will excite people opposed to fossil fuel generation and the pollution that resource creates. Beneby said that by 2018 CPS will mothball the coal-fired Deely 1 & 2 generation plants, 15 years earlier than expected. CPS is also partnering with Summit Energy to purchase 200 megawatts of clean-coal-fired electric power, touted as some of the cleanest coal-fired power in the world by Earl Gjelde, CEO of Summit Energy.
A couple of the other highlights are announcements of Greenstar’s effort to replace 25,000 of San Antonio street lights with LED lights, starting with downtown in 90 days. Consert, a provider of smart grid technology, will provide that technology at no cost to ratepayers within San Antonio and relocate its headquarters to the city. Finally, Cold Car USA will be developing new sustainable energy refrigeration trucks, planning the first all-electric intracity truck in San Antonio as well as relocating a manufacturing facility to the city.
Coupled with all of these announcements were cooperative announcements of investment in UTSA’s programs focused on sustainable energy. The purpose was to not only invest in the city in both sustainable energy programs but to build a center of innovation within San Antonio for future generations. This will not only help the city increase its portfolio of new energy but also help attract innovative high-paying jobs to the city to help grow the economy.
Thinking about where these jobs could best be located, District 4 keeps coming to mind. It’s an area with lots of flat open space and a workforce that’s geared for this type of economy. With rail heads already established for Toyota Texas and having Port San Antonio contained within the district, you can see how easily companies could take advantage of the area and really revitalize the economy of the district. Hopefully newly elected Councilman Rey Saldaña will lobby for this and provide new initiative for his district.
Regardless of what happens, it’s definitely a time when San Antonio should celebrate those record-breaking summer days. That sun just may be the new gold for San Antonio.
