Summary
Mountain Regional Water Special Service District, providing drinking water to the Park City, Utah region, partnered with Ameresco and D3Energy to develop an innovative floating solar installation at the Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant. The project, Utah’s first floating solar array, was designed to generate ~871,000 kWh of clean energy annually, offsetting approximately 92% of its annual grid energy consumption and reducing energy costs by 80%.
“Traditional ground or rooftop solar wasn’t an option for us at this facility, but this innovative floating solar installation makes use of an untapped resource. This is one more piece of the puzzle for us to get to a ‘Net-Zero’ energy goal as we strive to be responsible stewards for the community and the environment.”
– Chris Braun
Chief Technology Officer, Mountain Regional Water
92%
Annual Grid Energy Offset
588 kW
Project Size
802 Metric Tons
Annual CO2 Emissions Reduction
~871,000 kWh
Annual Energy Generation
Customer Benefits
In addition to reducing energy costs by 80%, the floating solar array efficiently uses one acre of available water surfaces, providing an ideal solution for maximizing energy production without impacting land resources. Additional expected benefits of the project include:
- Generating annual cost savings of ~$76,000, providing a benefit to water district ratepayers
- Reducing carbon emissions by 609 metric tons per year – the equivalent of eliminating 68,474 gallons of gasoline consumption or preventing 670,649 pounds of coal from being burned
- Advancing Summit County’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2032
- Preserving natural resources by installing on the water instead of utilizing three acres of land
- Increasing efficiency with floating solar panels that stay cooler installed on water
- Minimizing plant growth and water evaporation in the pond
Solution
Looking to incorporate solar energy for their facility but lacking the space for ground or rooftop installations, Mountain Regional Water Special Service District in Utah chose Ameresco and D3Energy to install a floating solar array on a holding pond at the Signal Hill Water Treatment Facility. Ameresco also helped the District get approval from local government agencies for the innovative installation. To help fund the project, the District was awarded a $400,000 grant from Rocky Mountain Power under their Blue Sky program, an opt-in program that gives customers the option to match all or part of their energy use with renewable energy.
- 588 kW floating solar array
- 1,078 solar panels
- ~871,000 kWh annual energy generation
