The City of Hollister will break ground on a 2.61MW solar energy project to be developed by ClearSpot Energy, a solar power energy services company, for the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant and schools in the Hollister School District.
The ten solar energy projects include a 1.16MW PV system for the city’s wastewater treatment plant with over 5000 solar panels, and nine additional PV systems, totaling 1.45MW (almost 6000 solar panels), to be built at the Hollister elementary and middle schools and the offices.
ClearSpot Energy will work in collaboration with Rosendin Electric, an electrical engineering, power and communications provider, to design, install, operate and maintain the solar energy systems for the city of Hollister, which will purchase the electricity produced by the solar systems.
Perpetual Energy Systems, a renewable energy company that finances and develops solar energy systems, will provide the fund for the development of the solar power system for the wastewater treatment plant.
The development of the solar project will allow the city of Hollister to reduce its energy costs while experiencing an increase in sales tax revenues and generating union construction jobs, to be filled by San Benito County residents.
ClearSpot managing director Gary Banta said that the company expects Hollister and San Benito County to be widely admired and copied by other communities who recognize the tremendous advantages of adopting alternative energy sources such as solar for their public works projects.