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Paula Gold-Williams



              is Guiding CPS Energy


                     into the Future



                Paula Gold-Williams, President & CEO of             when, energy storage is brought to a more
              San Antonio-based public power utility CPS            economical level, this innovative process
              Energy, has brought with her leadership a             would help CPS Energy optimize renewables,
              vision for the future of CPS Energy and its           and introduce other new technologies as they
              customers. It’s a future that isn’t stuck in the      are brought to the forefront.
              clouds, but is instead grounded among the               In October of 2018, CPS Energy and
              dedicated partnerships with city leaders              community leaders broke ground on a $16.3
              and utilities across the globe, as they work          million solar and battery storage project.
              together to discover what citizens need now           Subsidized by a $3 million grant from the
              and into the future.                                  Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
                With a projected 1 million additional               (TCEQ), the venture is a true partnership with
              residents making San Antonio home by 2040,            Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The
              Gold-Williams believes there is not a cookie-         Research Institute will be the location of a
              cutter solution to keeping costs low while            5-megawatt solar farm with racks carrying 10
              powering homes and the community with                 megawatts of batteries, providing the ability
              reliable and clean energy. Every city’s needs         to distribute power to about 410 homes. The
              are different and that’s, one of several places,      project is slated to be completed by 2019.
              where the Flexible Path comes in. The strategy          In addition, San Antonio, CPS Energy and
              unveiled earlier this year, takes a diversified       additional local municipal partners, are
              approach to producing energy.                         dedicated to leading smart city initiatives by
                With new doors opening every day, Gold-             integrating advanced technology to better
              Williams is looking at a wide array of new            serve the community. This broad group
              technologies, like energy storage. If, and            has begun meeting regularly in 2018 and

       12                              JANUARY 2019  |  GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
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