NEWS
Five developers tour potential solar sites in Bowie
City of Bowie officials met with potential solar array developers Wednesday touring three possible locations for a project and conducting lengthy interviews with those firms.
This is the second go-round with solar energy development for the city after it went through a similar process in spring 2016.
In that earlier scenario, the council voted no on a solar project indicated there was not enough savings to justify it, but wanted to continue further negotiations with Bryan Texas Utilities, the city’s bulk power supplier, in regard to its contract which is in year 11 of a 30-year term. There is a five-year out clause.
In 2015 the city negotiated an amendment in its BTU contract that would allow the city to develop up to two megawatts capacity in distributed energy. Bowie purchases a little more than 10 megawatts in bulk power each year with a peak use of 13MW.
Officials from Schneider Engineering have explained one megawatt could help reduce the city’s peak demand as distributors are charged a peak rate based on annual calculations from the four prime months, typically June to September. Those also are considered prime solar production months.
Obtaining one megawatt from another source hopefully at a cheaper rate would reduce the transmission fees. If a solar array was available in close proximity to the city’s power grid, it could go directly into the system without those fees charged by the state and shared by all public power entities to offset the construction of a power grid to transport wind power energy across the state.
City Manager Bert Cunningham, Mayor Gaylynn Burris, Mayor Protem Wayne Bell and Jay Evans, head of the city’s electric department, met with the five firms Thursday. It would take about 10 acres for the system needed to produce 1MW of “green energy.”
Read the full story in the weekend News.
Members of the Bowie City Council will face a brief agenda when they meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the council chambers.
Following routine reports and consent agenda items, the council will consider a resolution authorizing submission of the city’s 2027/2028 Texas Community Development Block Grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Then council members will consider approving Bob Blackburn for appointment as a reserve police officer with the Bowie Police Department.
Following an executive session, the council will discuss and potentially take action regarding the annual employment evaluations and duties of both the City Secretary and the Municipal Court Judge.
After nearly three months of no rain, Mother Nature brought the showers this past week.
Downtown Bowie rain reports varied from 7 to 8 inches, while the Saint Jo area reported a 10-inch total. The city water plant in Bowie reported 5.55 inches on Sept. 30 with 1.6 Oct. 1-3.
Nocona saw a total of 6.31 inches of rain across Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
On Oct. 6, Lake Amon G. Carter saw a level of 917.39 mean sea level rising to 81.31% full. Just one week earlier the lake was 73.6% full, while one year ago it was 94.01%. The lake is full at 920msl.
Lake Nocona was 73.7% full at 823.02 on Oct 6. One week earlier it was 70.41% full and one year ago it was 92.41%. The lake is full at 827.5 msl.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
One Montague County City has joined the battle against any data centers being built in this county and there is a petition drive underway to urge the commissioner’s court to keep data centers out of Montague County.
At a Sept. 28 called meeting of the Saint Jo City Council, officials unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to the “siting, permitting, construction or operation of data centers and similar hyperscale computing facilities within the city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said several citizens approached Councilor Jack Dunn about their data center concerns and he helped prepare a resolution. The council gave unanimous support.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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