This is your weekly update, which takes a quick look at the week ahead and some developments that El Paso Matters is following.
New Solar Farm: El Paso Electric is building a 10-megawatt community solar farm in San Elizario in far East El Paso County that the utility’s customers will be able subscribe to and receive solar energy. Customers would pay about $15 per kilowatt of capacity for which they subscribe and then they would receive a credit on their monthly bill based on how much power their portion of the solar farm produces. El Paso Electric sees community solar farms as a way to compete with rooftop solar, which can be costly for individual homeowners and isn’t available for all homeowners or renters. Customers with their own rooftop solar systems own the asset and typically receive a bigger reduction in their monthly power bill than a customer subscribed to community solar. EPE is spending $23 million to develop the 66-acre solar farm. Once it’s completed near the end of this year, another 5,000 customers will be able to subscribe to solar energy from the site. And it’s not the last solar farm the utility is building in the Lower Valley: El Paso Electric next month plans to start constructing a larger, 150-megawatt solar array in Fabens.
‘Be the Difference’ Mental Health Symposium: El Paso Matters, Emergence Health Network and El Paso Community College are joining to sponsor a conference aimed at helping high school students deal with any mental health challenges they are facing. The conference, “Be the Difference,” will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the EPCC Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Blvd. Admission is free. The panel includes a therapist from Emergence Health Network who will provide insights into available mental health resources and a family that has dealt with these challenges. Robert Moore, CEO of El Paso Matters, will moderate the discussion. This in-person event will be livestreamed for virtual attendees and will be available to watch on demand afterward at elpasomatters.org/events.
FBI Citizens Academy: The FBI El Paso Field Office is now accepting applications for its upcoming Spring 2024 Citizen’s Academy. The citizen’s academy is a six-week course designed to educate business, religious, civic and community leaders about the FBI’s mission and its role in the community. The academy classes are tentatively scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. every Thursday from March 21 through April 25 at the FBI offices, 660 S. Mesa Hills. Applications must be returned by noon Feb. 9. Anyone wanting to apply should call 915-832-5355 or email jharper@fbi.gov.
The post The Week Ahead: El Paso Electric set to build $23 million solar farm in San Elizario appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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