Mojave Water Agency’s Board of Directors cut a ribbon to celebrate the Agency’s newly installed hydroelectric system. From left: Jim Ventura, Mike Page, Richard Hall, Thurston “Smitty” Smith, Carl Coleman, Beverly Lowry, Kimberly Cox. The system has brought the Agency close to attaining a net-neutral status in its energy consumption — a byproduct that will save the Agency millions of dollars over the next 30 years and provide numerous environmental benefits. (Photo courtesy of Mojave Water Agency)
Water flows from Mojave Water Agency’s newly installed hydroelectric turbine into a groundwater recharge area at the Agency’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning. The system has brought the Agency close to attaining a net-neutral status in its energy consumption — a byproduct that will save the Agency millions of dollars over the next 30 years and provide numerous environmental benefits. (Photo courtesy of Mojave Water Agency)
A newly completed hydroelectric system has brought Mojave Water Agency close to attaining a net-neutral status in its energy consumption—a byproduct that will save the Agency millions of dollars over the next 30 years and provide numerous environmental benefits. The Agency celebrated its $4.3 million, clean-energy system with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning at its Operations Facility in Apple Valley.
Mojave Water Agency Superintendent of Operations Mike Simpson welcomes attendees to the Agency’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning for its newly installed hydroelectric system. The system has brought the Agency close to attaining a net-neutral status in its energy consumption — a byproduct that will save the Agency millions of dollars over the next 30 years and provide numerous environmental benefits. (Photo courtesy of Mojave Water Agency)
After years of planning, this hydroelectric project is designed to take advantage of water being delivered from the California Aqueduct to the groundwater basin in the Victor Valley area by converting existing pressure into electrical energy. The central component of the project is an 820-kilowatt, hydroelectric turbine generator. The power is sent to Southern California Edison’s (SCE) power grid, which is then credited to the Agency’s other SCE accounts. Housed inside a 32-foot-by-40-foot building, the hydroelectric turbine produces nearly as much electrical energy when measured in kilowatt-hours as a 9- to 15-acre solar panel farm over the course of a year.
Mojave Water Agency Board members at the Agency’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning for its newly installed hydroelectric system. From left: Jim Ventura, Richard Hall, Carl Coleman, Mike Page, Kimberly Cox, Thurston “Smitty” Smith. The system has brought the Agency close to attaining a net-neutral status in its energy consumption — a byproduct that will save the Agency millions of dollars over the next 30 years and provide numerous environmental benefits. (Photo courtesy of Mojave Water Agency)
