{"id":16020,"date":"2017-07-26T14:56:46","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T18:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=16020"},"modified":"2017-07-26T15:02:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T19:02:00","slug":"el-paso-electric-should-protect-the-citys-water-and-let-solar-power-shine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/07\/26\/el-paso-electric-should-protect-the-citys-water-and-let-solar-power-shine\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso Electric should protect the city\u2019s water and let solar power shine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Resiliency is a hot button word right now. Ten years ago, advocates focused on \u201cadaptation,\u201d or the idea of adapting to the coming effects of climate change. Now the focus is on \u201cresiliency,\u201d the ability to bounce forward \u2013 not backward \u2013 when something disastrous happens.<\/p>\n

For El Paso, a city on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, resilience is critical. A huge city in the middle of the desert with an average rainfall around 8 inches per year, El Paso needs to be hardy, especially when it comes to water.<\/p>\n

El Paso Water Utility (EPWU) is on top of the problem, enacting programs and initiatives to ensure El Paso\u2019s water resiliency. Unfortunately, El Paso Electric \u2013 the city\u2019s electric utility \u2013 is not doing everything it<\/em> can to use less water.<\/p>\n

To protect the city\u2019s water, the utility should fully embrace no-water solar PV energy and not discourage customers<\/a> from using solar power at their homes and businesses.<\/p>\n

History of conservation<\/strong><\/p>\n

El Paso has been a leader in water conservation for decades. For example, the city cut water demand by more than 40 percent \u2013 from a high of 225 gallons per person per day (gcpd) in the 1970s to 132 gcpd in 2013, seven years ahead of its target.<\/p>\n

How did El Paso do it? It changed the way city residents make decisions about and pay for water. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the city unveiled a 50-year water resource plan, changed prices to conserve water, and started aggressive water conservation programs.<\/p>\n

Further, El Paso reuses about 15 percent of its water, much higher than the statewide average<\/a> of 1 percent (although some cities, like San Antonio, are higher).<\/p>\n

After recently coming out of a severe, multi-year drought (along with the rest of the state), El Paso understands that if it doesn\u2019t effectively manage its water, it won\u2019t have a city to run at all.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “El Paso Electric should protect the city\u2019s water and let solar power shine”]<\/p>\n

Solar\u2019s role<\/strong><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something missing in El Paso\u2019s water equation: the connection between making electricity and water. While El Paso\u2019s water utility is protecting this precious resource, the electric utility isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

El Paso is a very sunny city, averaging about 302<\/a> days of sunshine per year, which means a lot of solar energy potential. And solar PV uses no water to create electricity, as opposed to very thirsty traditional power resources like coal and natural gas.<\/p>\n

Moreover, findings from an Environmental Defense Fund project with the Texas National Guard found that National Guard installations in El Paso are at the top<\/a> for both water stress and solar potential. Clearly, there is significant opportunity to ease water stress by increasing solar power in the area.<\/p>\n

One El Paso<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the opportunity to help save El Paso\u2019s water by using solar power, El Paso Electric is blocking the growth<\/a> of customer-owned solar power. The utility\u2019s new proposal hits homes and small businesses that use solar panels with a higher monthly charge.<\/p>\n

As is the case with most cities and utilities, energy and water in El Paso tend to be viewed separately. Electric utilities are inclined to plan as though they will always have enough water and water utilities do the same with electricity. But if careful planning for water and energy is not undertaken, there won\u2019t be enough of either to go around.<\/p>\n

El Paso should be taking every step needed to strengthen its water resilience, including making wise energy decisions. A resilient city facilitates coordination of resources and plans strategically for wise use throughout the entire system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Resiliency is a hot button word right now. Ten years ago, advocates focused on \u201cadaptation,\u201d or the idea of adapting to the coming effects of climate change. Now the focus is on \u201cresiliency,\u201d the ability to bounce forward \u2013 not backward \u2013 when something disastrous happens. For El Paso, a city on the border between …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7471,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[735,1,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-16020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-energy-water-nexus","category-uncategorized","category-texas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEl Paso Electric should protect the city\u2019s water and let solar power shine - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/07\/26\/el-paso-electric-should-protect-the-citys-water-and-let-solar-power-shine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El Paso Electric should protect the city\u2019s water and let solar power shine - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Resiliency is a hot button word right now. 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