Alamo Cement Co. of San Antonio launches solar energy system
Alamo Cement Co., headquartered north of San Antonio, announced March 2 the completion of a 45-acre solar panel field that company officials said anticipated their commitment to reduce carbon emissions and align with the cement industry’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Alamo Cement leaders said their new solar-powered system, the total size of 35 soccer fields, is expected to generate up to 15 percent of their plant’s annual energy use, while reducing emissions and electricity costs.
Massimo Toso, chairman and chief executive officer of Alamo Cement and president and chief executive officer of Buzzi Unicem USA Inc., said in a statement that Alamo Cement is committed to advancing the cement industry’s decarbonization goal and that the energy project solar is a step in the right direction.
“We continue to look for more opportunities to improve sustainability in our operations and intend to leverage our experience with this San Antonio project and explore the implementation of additional renewable energy systems within our group,” he said.
According to Alamo Cement, full use of this renewable energy system is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 8,000 tons annually. As energy demand increases, this on-site power system also has the benefit of reducing dependency on the local power grid, thus relieving stress on the power grid serving the San Antonio region, company officials said. .
William Kovacs, director of project engineering and construction management, said this initiative is an example of the kind of collaboration needed to continue to unlock and apply new energy sources for cement producers.
“It was a collective effort that brought together our corporate team, [utility] CPS Energy and regional engineering firms and contractors,” Kovacs said in a statement.
Alamo Cement said it has made a large investment in this renewable energy project, which has the capacity to generate up to 17,800 megawatt hours annually.
It is the largest customer-owned solar project in CPS Energy’s service area, which includes Bexar County and portions of seven surrounding counties.
“Projects like this are a testament to the work CPS Energy has done and continues to do by partnering with those who share a common goal of moving towards a sustainable future for our city and are committed to reducing local energy demand,” he said. said Jonathan Tijerina, vice president of risk and business development at CPS Energy, in a statement.
