Currently, the dishes are not operating on weekends or holidays, due to a lack of off-site operation capabilities. However, according to DeCamillo, the city will save even more once the dishes begin operating 7 days a week.Since January, Belen has seen $1,000 savings on its electric bill, thanks to its new solar dishes, installed last July. By the end of the year, officials estimate the dishes will save almost 50 percent on the city's electric bill-- that's nearly $20,000.

According to Andrew DeCamillo, planning and zoning director for Belen, "The money ... goes into a general fund for other expenses that we have. The credits are accumulating."

But saving on the electric bill isn't the only bright side to the solar dishes. They're also an ideal eco-friendly energy source for the city of Belen, and they are capable of generating a good deal of energy for their relatively small size.

The dish manufacturer, Infinia Corp., also supervised implementation of solar dishes in four other public sites nationwide, including Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque.

The solar dishes are widely visible to the public, and, according to Charlie Walker, director of U.S. commercial sales for Infiniti, that's a positive. "People want to see the dishes operating. The city of Belen is an excellent visual representation of how the units operate."

Currently, the dishes are not operating on weekends or holidays, due to a lack of off-site operation capabilities. However, according to DeCamillo, the city will save even more once the dishes begin operating 7 days a week.