San Antonio Advances Plans for Texas’ Largest On-Site Government Solar Program

San Antonio’s plans for the largest on-site government solar program in Texas are progressing smoothly.

The $30 million initiative aims to enhance sustainability and efficiency while saving taxpayer dollars. City officials are excited to announce that 14 out of 42 municipal solar projects have already been commissioned, marking the launch of the largest on-site solar program implemented by a local Texas government.

The program includes the installation of rooftop solar panels and solar canopy shade structures at various city-owned facilities. Doug Melnick, the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of San Antonio, stated, “All of those systems are going to produce electricity that goes right back into our buildings to reduce the amount of electricity that we’re actually purchasing.” The goal is to generate clean energy for city operations while also lowering electricity costs for taxpayers.

This solar initiative aligns with San Antonio’s objective of achieving “Zero Net Energy” for all municipal buildings by 2040. Melnick added, “For 10 to 15 years, these will be producing electricity that we can save that amount that we would be spending on electricity. We capture those dollars and then we reinvest those into our buildings to improve them.”

City leaders held a commissioning ceremony at the Public Safety Answering Point, which features solar canopies providing 249 covered parking spaces for city employees. The 1.19-megawatt system is expected to offset approximately 77 percent of the facility’s annual electricity consumption. Mayor Ron Nirenberg emphasized, “We can harness solar power in a parking lot and save the costs of running a facility that is operating 24 hours a day, in the case of this public service dispatch facility. It’s saving taxpayer dollars.”

Big Sun Solar, a San Antonio-based commercial solar company, is spearheading the program under a service agreement with the city. The 14 commissioned projects collectively offer 4.11 megawatts of solar capacity and include:

• Jean Yates Community Center, 568 Rasa Dr., District 4 (Rooftop Installation)
• Southside Lions Senior Center, 3303 Pecan Valley Dr., District 3 (Rooftop Installation)
• West Police Substation, 7000 Culebra Rd., District 5 (Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• Pre-K 4 SA East, 5230 Eisenhauer Rd., District 5 (Rooftop Installation)
• Melendrez Community Center, 5919 W Commerce St., District 5 (Rooftop Installation)
• Southwest Service Center, 6927 W Commerce St., District 5 (Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, 1901 S Alamo St., District 1 (Rooftop and Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• West Police Station, 7000 Culebra Rd., District 6 (Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• Fire Station #37, 11011 Vance Jackson Rd., District 8 (Rooftop Installation)
• Garza Community Center, 1450 Mira Vista, District 7 (Rooftop Installation)
• Northeast Senior Center, 4135 Thousand Oaks Dr., District 10 (Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• SAFD Service Garage, 230 S Callaghan Rd., District 6 (Rooftop Installation)
• Public Safety Answering Point, 8039 Challenger Dr., District 3 (Rooftop and Parking Lot Canopy Installation)
• John Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78249 (District 8, Rooftop and Parking Lot Canopy)

For more related coverage, visit KSAT: City officially commissions the largest municipal solar project in Texas. Texas ranks third in residential rooftop solar generation, according to a recent report.