EPE solar energy facility in Far East EP now online
A number of El Paso residents will take a step into the future with renewable energy.
El Paso Electric announced Monday its new solar energy facility is now online.
Located at the EPE Eastside Operations Center Campus in Far East El Paso, the 3,000 kilowatt (kW) facility is home to EPE’s Community Solar Program. It is currently the largest in the state of Texas.
Representatives of the company say the pilot program was fully subscribed to in just one month of subscription openings back in mid-March. With about 1,500 customers enrolled and a large demand, EPE is looking for ways to expand the Community Solar Program to more Texas customers and even those in New Mexico in the future.
El Paso Electric President and CEO Mary Kipp says EPE is excited to bring the facility online and generate credits for customers looking to invest in solar energy.
“We have several large scale solar facilities that are part of our generation mix, and this latest project allows us to keep supporting innovation in renewable energy, making it more accessible to all our Texas customers through our Community Solar Program,” Kipp says.
The utility said the first year of the facility’s operation will prevent more than 11 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere. That number equates to saving almost five million gallons water and planting more than one hundred twenty-eight thousand trees.
Subscribers to the Community Solar program will see the credits of the solar production for the month of June in the bills they receive in July of this year. Officials for EPE say subscribers will pay $20.96 per kW for capacity, with generation base and fuel credits offsetting the capacity charge.
Customers may visit epelectric.com to learn more about the program or to sign-up and be placed on a waiting list. EPE says that if capacity becomes available at a later time, those customers will be contacted on a first-come first-serve basis.
A video of the completed solar facility is available on the El Paso Electric website.
