Renewable energy and water.. MID, City of Modesto.. where ya at?

This is a great post! There is a lot of new and innovative technology out there like this, it's good to see people actively calling for it locally.

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"The war on terror is a war against your freedoms. It's a war against you." -askquestions

good challenge for the city of Water, wealth?, contentment? health.
your points on the old FMC plant a good one. Technology has improved on solar panels, etc. Thanks for posting real stuff on modestofamous.com today. jim

Good questions, Angryf. I’ll try to hit the highlights and give numbers to call for more info. Good way to stay current on these issues is to read the monthly newsletter with your MID electric bill. Also check www.mid.org, click on About MID, then Annual Report.
Water resources – True, back in the 1980s groundwater was pumped out faster than nature could replenish it, especially in central Modesto. Modesto Irrigation District (MID) and the City of Modesto (City) developed a plan to accomplish several things:
-Provide dependable, long-term drinking water supply for the City
-Begin to recharge City wells
-Find beneficial, local use for MID water no longer needed by agriculture.
Since 1994 MID has treated Tuolumne River water at the Modesto Regional Water Treatment Plant. We provide 30 million gallons a day (mgd) of drinking water wholesale to the City, about half their total supply. MID surface water has supplemented City well water for more than 10 years now. This is called “conjunctive use.� Together with water conservation, it makes the best use of all the water resources you have in good water years and bad. Lots more exciting stuff going on now. Modesto phasing in water meters; encourages conservation. MID ready todouble treatment plant capacity to 60 mgd, using new membrane technology. Multi-agency groundwater study finishing up. 6 local agencies have agreed to coordinate how they manage well fields. 3-D predictive computer model of Modesto groundwater basin under development. More info: MID Water Operations, 209 526-7563. Want technical? see links at http://www.mid.org/about/water/default.htm

Renewable energy – In 2003 MID set a goal to meet 20% of customer energy needs with renewable resources by 2017; later this became a state requirement. We’re ahead of schedule! Last year MID resources included 6% wind power; this year ext. 11% wind. Wind is the least expensive renewable resource; cost close to natural gas. Currently trying to finalize contract with a biomass plant that will burn municipal wood waste (leftovers from construction sites). If this deal goes through, we’ll be up to 16% renewable by next year. (Note: The 20% is in addition to* our Don Pedro hydro and hydro we buy from San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy system. By state law, hydro facilities producing more than 30 megawatts (mega=million) can’t be counted as renewable resources.) More info: MID Energy Resources, 209 526-7550.
So why doesn’t MID switch to all renewable energy? All energy resources have advantages and disadvantages. MID believes a diverse mix is the best way to protect customers from risk and keep electric rates as low as possible - that's quite a challenge anyway. Examples:
--Hydropower depends on Mother Nature. No snowpack means no water to spin the turbines. But if available, hydro is low-cost.
- With natural gas-fired plants, the big risk is natural gas prices. MID isn’t a gas company. We buy natural gas just like you do. Older plants have emissions concerns. Newer gas turbines like MID’s are very clean-burning.
--Wind doesn’t always blow on the hottest days when the most electricity is used.
--Solar power is expensive, chiefly because the technology is relatively inefficient at converting light into electricity. There are other technical issues, too. MID installed a demo solar project on the roof of our building in downtown Modesto last year. We’re learning a lot from it.
Rebates – MID is developing a solar rebate program; details to be announced around June. People are usually disappointed when we explain: A typical 2.5 kilowatt residential solar installation costs roughly $16,000-$24,000. Lots of cash, even with an MID rebate, the payback could take up to 30 years. The economics could improve significantly in the next few years, if some of these technology gains make it out of the test lab and into the marketplace. Of course money isn’t the only reason for buying a solar system, but money motivates a lot of people. More info: MID Marketing, 209 526-7455.
Energy costs and electric rates – Hate to end on a downer, but reality is what it is. People are excited about renewable energy for a lot of good reasons. Contrary to popular myth, however, renewable energy usually costs more. If having more renewable energy drives MID’s power costs up, then electric rates will most likely go up. The good news for customers is that MID is a public power agency; owned by customers; operated on a not-for-profit basis.
Bottom line here - MID is already doing more than you may realize. We're always looking for ways to improve. We appreciate hearing from customers. Peace to all. - Kate Hora, Public Affairs Dept., MID 209 526-7454 kateho@mid.org