Sanford Nowlin
City-owned utility CPS Energy has expanded its total solar capacity by 27% since 2020.
Averaging 220 days of sunshine a year, the Alamo City produces 355 megawatts of solar power on any given day. That’s enough to power 60,000 homes or for every Alamo City household to use a 42-inch plasma screen TV simultaneously.
Los Angeles, which receives an average of 284 days of sunshine, copped the No.1 spot, producing 650 megawatts of solar power, according to the report. Other sunny cities including San Diego, Las Vegas and Honolulu also ranked high on the list.
Environment America's annual "Shining Cities" report is based on the amount of solar farms operated by local utilities such as San Antonio's city-owned CPS Energy along with the number of solar panels installed on each city's homes and buildings.
CPS officials last week announced they'll buy 180 megawatts of additional solar capacity from West Texas' Tierra Bonita solar farm, a facility slated for completion in 2024. The utility has expanded its total solar capacity by 27% since 2020, and solar power now accounts for 5% of all energy produced in Texas, according to the Express-News.
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