Now, when the lights go on at the sprawling AT&T =
Center, it=20
will be =93green=94 juice coming from West Texas wind farms. =
Bexar County, which owns the AT&T Center, and Spurs =
Sports=20
and Entertainment, which maintains and operates the =
facility, will=20
announce today that as of June 1, it became CPS Energy's top =
commercial buyer of wind energy under the city-owned =
utility's=20
Windtricity program.
=93As an organization, we are extremely excited about =
this, and it=20
is only the first step,=94 Spurs Chairman and CEO Peter Holt =
said in a=20
statement.
=93We are exploring recycling and water conservation =
ideas as=20
well,=94 Holt added. =93We really want to be a model for =
arenas across=20
the country regarding sensitivity to the environment.=94 =
The AT&T Center's agreement calls for the =
750,000-square-foot=20
building to be 100 percent powered by wind for the next two =
years,=20
the longest-term wind contract CPS now offers.
CPS Chairwoman Aurora Geis said the utility is =
=93thrilled=94 to have=20
the AT&T Center be part of the utility's wind portfolio. =
=93We continue to do everything we can to educate the =
public on the=20
importance of reducing our dependence on traditional energy =
sources,=20
and the fact that our own arena will be powered exclusively =
by=20
Windtricity is huge for our community,=94 she said.
The AT&T Center is one of several major local =
commercial=20
customers that since April have announced joining the =
Windtricity=20
program. Clear Channel Outdoor and H-E-B said they would get =
a=20
portion of their power in San Antonio from wind energy, and=20
Raba-Kistner Consultants Inc. announced it would get all of =
its=20
electricity from Windtricity.
The AT&T Center's utility bill ranges from $1.2 =
million to=20
$1.5 million a year, said John Sparks, the center's vice =
president=20
and general manager. Managers have been looking at ways to =
manage=20
costs.
=93Windtricity isn't the cheapest thing to buy on the =
market, but=20
if you look at what's happening with fossil fuels, it's a =
good=20
choice,=94 Sparks said.
Without switching to wind power, the AT&T Center's =
electric=20
bill could climb as much as 28 percent in the next year, =
based on=20
the cost of fuels that keep CPS' power plants running, an =
analysis=20
by Sparks' staff indicated.
Windtricity offers an advantage in addition to its green=20
credentials: Its costs are fixed.
Like other users, the AT&T Center has been paying a =
fuel=20
adjustment charge, along with a base rate, for the power it =
uses.=20
The charge fluctuates depending on what CPS is using to fire =
its=20
plants =97 coal, nuclear fuel or natural gas.
=93The fuel adjustment charge is what really hurts us,=94 =
Sparks=20
said. The flat Windtricity rate will help the center in =
budgeting,=20
Sparks said.
=93We're in no worse a situation buying Windtricity =97 =
and it's=20
better for the environment,=94 he added.
Lynda Rodriguez, CPS solutions delivery manager, said the =
utility=20
hopes at some point to offer Windtricity contracts of longer =
than=20
two years.
=93We'd love to see a four- and six-year deal,=94 Sparks =
said.
As=20
originally published, this story contained an error. =
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