What's Happening in Poway, CA…

The Port of San Diego recently installed solar panels on its primary ship terminal, located on B Street.

The panels, which cost $341,000, are part of a five-year plan to provide the port with more renewable energy. An initial analysis of cost savings found that the panels could save as much as $35,000 per year, meaning the project will pay for itself in about nine years. However, a more recent analysis improved on that, saying the installation could pay back its cost in just over a third of this time.

Officials say the port's current average electric bill is about $11,600 per month for the terminal. The solar panels could reduce that figure by about 70%.

The Port of San Diego is self-sustaining, and its revalue comes from various sources, including fees it collects from the ships that use the port; fees on cargo terminals where cars are unloaded; and commercial real estate nearby. The public information officer for the port, Tanya Castaneda, said that although the state has given the Port District the authority to levy taxes, it does not do so.

Renee Yarmy, who is the port's program manager for its department of energy and sustainability, says offsetting the energy it uses and substituting renewables is both fiscally responsible, and in line with the goals of its climate action plan.

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