The city of Arvin, California, and Veolia North America broke ground on a new 1 MW solar facility that will meet all power needs of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. Because energy can account for as much as 30% of water treatment costs, this project delivers economic and environmental benefits.
“This project will save the city thousands of dollars on annual energy bills and is a great green energy project for Arvin,” said Arvin City Manager Jeff Jones.
Veolia North America, a subsidiary of the Veolia Group, provides a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery.
Veolia has operated and maintained the Arvin wastewater treatment plant for more than ten years. Last year, the city and Veolia began discussions on using renewable energy to reduce costs and improve the reliability of the plant’s operations as part of the company’s GreenUp strategy, which aims to position Veolia as an enabler of technological innovations. The project is funded through a combination of low-interest municipal financing and the Federal Inflation Reduction Act.
“Progressive cities like Arvin recognize that water and energy are scarce resources that must be conserved for the long-term benefit of the community,” said Patrick Schultz, CEO of Veolia Sustainable Industries and Buildings. “Projects like these are part of our ‘Green Up’ strategy. Veolia is uniquely positioned to help cities and industries improve their operations while achieving their sustainability goals.”
Arvin has long been a leader in urban sustainability. They lead the country in the number of electric vehicle charging stations per capita, and were the first city to adopt an all-electric fleet of city buses. This low-carbon wastewater plant is just the latest in a series of projects to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions undertaken by the city.
“Arvin is a small, rural community in Kern County that is powerful in making significant progress in transitioning its fleet to electric, solar and EV charging,” said Christine Viterelli, Arvin’s Grant Manager, who is a pioneer in the field of the city’s energy supply. efficiency and fleet transition projects since 2016. “Every renewable energy project built will have an impact on reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
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