Solano County: Payoffs Of Going Green

Solano County: Payoffs Of Going Green
East Bay Business Times - by Michael S. Ammann
Friday, April 25, 2008

Picturesque, green hillsides have long been associated with Solano County, but there's another kind of green that is saving millions of dollars for private sector companies and local governments.

Just as the protection of the county's beauty and open spaces are important, business and government leaders have long sought the use of new and alternative energy sources.

Seeking and using new energy sources is not new to Solano County. While the current trend toward utilizing alternative energy sources is sweeping the nation, many of Solano County's business establishments turned to alternative energy sources several years ago as a way to save money, get tax incentives and enjoy a good return on investment.

Anheuser-Busch in Fairfield, for example, has cut its energy use in half since 1970. The corporation, a high user of water, has also found ways to cut its water usage by 20 percent per six-pack since 1990, saving 910,000 gallons of water. Plant Manager Kevin Finger says a "fair amount of my day..." is spent paying attention to these things."

Solar panel technology has allowed many firms to drastically reduce operating costs. Two examples of major installations are Alza Corp. in Vacaville and Meyer Corp. in Fairfield.

Alza recently installed a field of 5,740 solar panels, an alternative energy system that is saving $700 a day in energy costs.

Meyer literally wiped out its electricity bill with a 4.8 megawatt energy-reduction system, and it has created a new enterprise, Meyer Solar, to refine silicon for alternative energy projects.

It would be a mistake to believe only major corporations see the benefits of energy saving projects.

The city of Vallejo and SPG Solar Inc. dedicated a 31 kilowatt solar power facility at the city's Police Department headquarters in August 2002. The solar array provides backup power for the police computer network, and a large proportion of the power needed every day by the police dispatch center.

The "unsung heroes" of Solano County greening are small businesses, according to John Ketcherside, account executive with Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Ketcherside said at a recent Solano EDC meeting that it has been the "mom and pop operations" that have implemented small changes which have resulted in millions of dollars in savings. Changes to compact or linear florescent lights, strip curtains, refrigeration seals all result in considerable savings.

Small businesses can get $5,000 to $11,000 annually from PG&E for these small efforts, and that can make a big difference in their financial picture.

In addition to PG&E's energy incentives, Solano County launched a pilot green business program last year to encourage small-to-medium-sized businesses that handle or generate hazardous waste to voluntarily undergo a rigorous certification process to meet the Bay Area Green Business Program standards.

Triangle Digital INX Co., an ink manufacturer in Dixon, is the first business in Solano County to be certified. Both its facilities in Dixon have been certified by county inspectors. At least one business in each of the county's seven cities is actively pursuing the certification.

In the hills between Fairfield and Rio Vista windmills are now producing enough energy for 10,400 homes, and there will soon be another phase of windmills added, producing power for another 4,208 homes.

Another energy resource is the Rio Vista Gas Unit - the largest natural gas field in California.

Even though the field today is less productive, it still produces about 45 million cubic feet of natural gas daily. As technology, and with the capability to drill deeper, Rosetta Resources predicts it will be around for decades to come.

Solano County government will soon harness more than 1 million watts of electrical energy from the from the sun's rays when a school bus "shade structure" is completed later this year.

Add to this a large number of renewable energy projects in Vacaville, Vallejo and Fairfield and local cities are demonstrating the feasibility and cost effectiveness of solar energy.

There is more solar energy and more electric vehicles in Vacaville than there are in the recognized "green" communities of Davis and Berkeley. Vacaville has long been a leader in the use of alternative fuel vehicles - it has a fleet of 25 electric vehicles and will have 100 natural gas vehicles on the road this year.

Michael S. Ammann is president of the Solano Economic Development Corp.