Santa Lucia
Floating solar panels on a water treatment pond
In 2018, our director Eva Pauly-Bowles met Forrest Arthur, Managing Director of the Santa Lucia Preserve. This community had two artificial lakes on its land, used for water treatment facility and irrigation for its golf course.
Santa Lucia is located in Monterey county, California, and as for many reservoirs in the area, one of the major challenges is water evaporation. The development of a floating solar project reduces water evaporation by 20% thanks to the shade provided by the floating structure.
In addition to meeting this challenge, the project will generate green electricity on site to off-set escalating Utility prices. This aligns with the preserve’s target: to deploy sustainable solutions to reach future energy self-sufficiency. At Santa Lucia, the preserve’s golf course is 80% powered by the floating solar power plant, offsetting a majority of the facility’s electricity consumption.
During the Construction phase, some of the Preserve’s staff supported the installation, as the system used is easy-to-mount.
The site now produces its own solar energy tucked away on one of the course’s lined retention ponds.
Our role on the project
- Project development & management
- Stakeholder consultation & building permit issuance
- PPA negotiation & financing
53 kWp Power generation capacity
6% Coverage ratio