FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Connie Kacprowicz, Utility Services Specialist - (573) 874-7325

Invest in Columbia’s solar energy future for $3 a month

COLUMBIA, MO (December 8, 2010) - Columbia Water & Light has developed new solar projects and has 250 new Solar One spots available. Solar One energy is generated through solar systems located on city-owned property or at Columbia businesses. Columbia Water & Light purchases the solar energy from businesses through a power purchase agreement. The extra cost of this energy is paid for through voluntary subscriptions to the Solar One program.

The cost of the new solar projects in Columbia has gone down so the Columbia City Council approved lowering the cost of Solar One from $4 to $3.35 a month for a 100 kilowatt hour block of energy. Columbia Water & Light electric customers can purchase up to nine blocks of Solar One power. The Solar One charges are added to the customer’s monthly utility bill. They still pay the normal rate for their electric use. Customers can sign up for Solar One online by going to GoColumbiaMo.com or by calling (573) 874-7325.

The Solar One program has grown from 10 kilowatts of energy to 38.3 kilowatts. Quaker Oats has installed an additional 10 kilowatt system, Bright City Lights has installed 5 kilowatts and there is an additional 13.3 system behind the West Ash pumping station on Bernadette. It is estimated that the total amount of energy generated for one year will be 37,735 kilowatt hours of solar energy. To get an idea of how much energy the projects are generating, the average residential customer uses 822 kilowatt hours of electricity in one month.

By working with local businesses, Columbia Water & Light can provide more solar energy at a lower cost. Columbia’s commercial buildings have large rooftops with good solar exposure. Businesses can also take advantage of incentives for installing solar panels that are not available to the utility. Columbia Water & Light also supports individual solar projects with rebates and net metering agreements.

Columbia has a renewable energy standard that requires increasing amounts of renewable energy. The requirement started at 2 percent of the electric supply in 2008 and it grows to 15 percent in 2023. Columbia Water & Light had almost 5 percent of the electric supply from renewable energy in 2010. The renewable energy ordinance has a cost cap. The cost of the renewable energy over traditional energy sources cannot raise electric rates more than 3 percent.

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