CPS Energy’s new, state-of-the-art environmental lab, designed with sustainability in mind, features numerous green building elements, renewable energy sources and water-saving applications.
A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony today marked completion of the lab, located at Calaveras Power Station, site of several CPS Energy power plants on Calaveras Lake southeast of San Antonio.

“CPS Energy has made a commitment to our community to deliver affordable, reliable energy produced in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Milton Lee, CPS Energy general manager and CEO.  “Opening the new lab underscores that strong environmental commitment.  We want our power plants and other facilities to remain well within state and federal environmental requirements.”

The 7,000-square-foot lab replaces three outdated buildings at Braunig Power Station on Braunig Lake and one at Calaveras Power Station, said Scott Smith, director of environmental planning, compliance and water supply.  Consolidating lab operations is important because all CPS Energy environmental testing in now centralized, he added.

The environmental staff worked closely with Jacobs Carter Burgess, an engineering firm, to design a lab with multiple green building features and renewable energy sources that help power the facility, Smith said.  Twenty solar photovoltaic modules are capable of producing a combined output of 3.4 kilowatts (KW) on a clear, sunny day, while a 35-foot-high wind turbine can generate at peak capacity of 2.6 KW.

The lab’s green building features include the ability to precisely control lighting as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.  Light-emitting diode task lighting that uses five times less energy as compact fluorescent light bulbs provides better illumination for work areas.

The orientation of the building minimizes direct sunlight on exterior walls and reduces cooling requirements.  Overhangs also provide shade over the windows for most of the year and reduce heat buildup inside the lab. 

Besides saving energy, the lab also conserves water.  Indoors, low-flow water fixtures and infrared motion sensors prevent excess water usage.  Outside the lab, a rainwater-harvesting system collects runoff from the roof and stores it in a 4,800-gallon concrete tank.  The rainwater is used to irrigate drought-tolerant plant species used in xeriscaping all around the facility.

Recycled content was used in building materials such as ceiling tiles and concrete floor tiles.  Furniture in the lab also was made from recycled content.

“The new lab is a direct outgrowth of CPS Energy’s strong environmental commitment, one of the key features of the Strategic Energy Plan for meeting Greater San Antonio’s future energy needs,” Lee said.  “That commitment began decades ago when the forerunner of CPS Energy built Calaveras and Braunig Lakes to use recycled water for power plant cooling instead of relying on the Edwards Aquifer.  I know CPS Energy’s environmental team will make very good use of the lab to help protect the environment we all share.”