Solar farm, hydroelectric plant could boost Columbia’s power supply – By Bristow Marchant (The State) / Feb 10 2020
Two projects could add 7 megawatts of power to the grid in the Columbia metropolitan area — and potentially add some money to the city’s coffers.
Both proposals were put forward in Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin’s State of the City address on Wednesday. One would add a solar farm to the grounds of the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Interstate 77. Another would reboot the hydroelectric station on the Columbia canal, shut down since it was damaged in the 2015 flood.
The city is working to add a field of solar panels to two or three acres of vacant property next to the sewage treatment plant on the banks of the Congaree River. Benjamin said the move is part of Columbia’s “continued commitment to sustainability.”
Columbia’s water department is working with the energy company Con Edison on a feasibility study to determine how the solar farm could be tied in to Dominion Energy’s local power grid, said assistant city manager Clint Shealy. Once they are up and running, the juice from the panels could either be sold to Dominion for use on its grid, or used by the city itself to lower its own power bill.
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