The Ceres City Council voted 3-2 last month to approve a $4.9 million contract to build a 995-Kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at the Ceres Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In 2024 the council Ok’d Schneider Electric Buildings Americas, Inc. to design energy and infrastructure improvement projects at the plant to improve plant capacity, reduce operating costs, and address increasing regulatory and operational demands at the plant.
Schneider Electric evaluated multiple energy and infrastructure improvement options. A large-scale on-site solar photovoltaic system was determined to significantly offset the plant’s high electrical demand and as the city seeks to upgrade the plant. Officials believe it will not only reduce energy consumption but will control long-term utility costs and improve the financial sustainability of wastewater operations.
Councilwoman Cerina Otero, who voted against the contract, asked City Engineer Mike Beltran if any other cities have completed such projects and was informed that El Centro, Sutter Creek, Simi Valley and Los Angeles County all use the system.
The project will enable the city to be eligible for the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), currently estimated at approximately $1,496,420.
Construction of the solar project is expected to start June and end in November with the hopes of going operational by December.
“I would say the first quarter of next year is when we would be fully operational on the solar system,” said Beltran.
Beltran said the new system will offset about 50 percent of the current usage over the 25-year lifespan.
“In project lifestyle, lifecycle savings, we’re looking at somewhere around $8.6 million that we will save in energy costs,” said Beltran.
The project is being funded by sewer enterprise account funds and will not affect the General Fund, he told the council.
Otero said she wanted to see a side-by-side comparison in the long-term projected savings before she voted.
Otero and Councilman James Casey voted against proceeding but were outvoted by Mayor Javier Lopez, Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez and Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra.
Earlier this year, Moses Bchara, Schneider’s wastewater program manager, told the council that Ceres’ current wastewater treatment plant is under-capacity for the current needs and could limit growth if no accommodations are made.
Improving the plant would not only accommodate anticipated residential growth, but Ceres will be able to meet increasing state regulations to produce cleaner treated water.
Currently the city deals with disposal of wastewater various ways. Approximately 2.5 million gallons per day go to the Ceres plant. Some of that treated water percolates into the groundwater table while one million gallons of partially treated water per day is piped to the Turlock sewer plant.
Effluent from north Ceres goes to the city of Modesto’s plant and is treated to a level of recycled water clean enough to discharge into the Delta-Mendota Canal via the Del Puerto Irrigation District system.
Earlier this year City Manager Doug Dunford – who retired on Friday – said the plant needs more pond space that would hold “almost drinkable” treated water so that it could percolate into the ground and recharge the underground aquifer.
The city has been in negotiations to buy up property around the plant to add ponds. Dunford said it would probably be five years before the land would be used in the expanded plant expansion.
