Sierra Madre highlights local solar, City Hall battery backup and Clean Power Alliance ties to large wind project
Loading...
Summary
Mayor Robert Parkhurst told residents Sierra Madre receives 100% renewable energy through Clean Power Alliance and described local solar projects — a 50-kilowatt system at spreading basins powering about 40% of water-pump energy needs — upcoming City Hall solar with battery backup for emergency operations, and planned EV chargers behind Taylor’s
Mayor Robert Parkhurst said Sierra Madre participates in the Clean Power Alliance, a joint-power program serving dozens of cities that supplies renewable energy to local customers. He described a 50-kilowatt solar energy system at the city spreading basins that was brought online in 2021 and now supplies roughly 40% of the electricity used to run the city’s water pumps. Parkhurst said City Hall will receive solar panels and a battery backup in the first quarter of next year to power the emergency operations center when grid power is out.
Parkhurst also said the city will install new electric-vehicle chargers behind Taylor’s Market early next year and will continue partnering with Clean Power Alliance on larger renewable projects. He referenced the Sunsea Wind Power Project — described in his remarks as about 1,000 turbines at 3.5 megawatts each producing roughly 3.6 gigawatts — and noted Sierra Madre, through its membership in the Clean Power Alliance, is a major investor in that project.
The mayor framed these initiatives as a mix of cost savings and new revenue streams: he said the spreading-basin system cost the city nothing to install and now provides monthly revenue and reduced pump energy costs. City staff will continue to pursue additional renewable opportunities and faster permitting for residential solar.
