Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

transitioning the entire plant over to solar power would call for clearing between 16 to 40
acres of land for solar cells. 66
Instead of completely shifting the treatment and intake facility over to either solar or
hydroelectric power, the City should explore a hybrid configuration of both to complement
(not replace) the facility’s primary source of power. Such a hybrid configuration should be
designed to produce enough power to run the plant at 10‐15% treatment capacity in order
to provide residents a basic level of water sufficient for drinking, cooking, and basic
sanitation. Hydroelectric power could be leveraged during the Indiana spring rains, when
substantial cloud cover reduces the feasibility for solar but there is a great deal of untapped
energy flowing over the dam. Solar power could be leveraged during the summer months
and sunny winter months. 67 Used as part of a hybrid system to complement existing
power sources, solar panels would require less than an acre of cleared land (estimated).
In the interest of the community’s water security, the City should more closely examine
hybrid energy generation at the water treatment plant. Any study should take into
consideration the amount of water needed to provide minimal drinking and cooking water
to residents. Further study should include a cost‐benefit that takes into account the
weaknesses of the electrical grid and the grid’s ultimate reliance on oil.
66 Ibid.
67 Cities receiving less solar radiation than Bloomington, such as Newark, New Jersey have successfully
transitioned their water and wastewater treatment to solar power. Boulder, Colorado has a level of radiation
similar to Bloomington and has transitioned its water and wastewater treatment facilities to solar power.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
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