REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Power Purchase Agreements for Alternative Energy Allocation (Study Issue) - Pursue Solar Energy Solutions and Approve Budget Modification No. 4
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Study Issue ESD 13-01 Power Purchase Agreements for Alternative Energy Allocation (Attachment 1) evaluates the City's participation in a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to acquire alternative energy for City-owned or controlled utility facilities and recognized the need to perform site surveys to determine the alternative energy potential of a site. This Study Issue was initiated by the Sustainability Commission.
There have been several recent regional efforts to secure alternative energy for local city and county facilities. These regional alternative energy procurements solicited proposals for various renewable power generating options including solar (photovoltaic), solar thermal, fuel cell, or wind turbine. The most common technology deployed through these and other recent PPA procurements was solar photovoltaic. Therefore, this Study Issue focused on evaluating solar energy, as the most common type of alternative energy to consider for City owned or controlled facilities. This study was conducted by Optony, Inc., a global research and consulting firm that specializes in solar projects, under the direction of Environmental Services Department staff. The two-part evaluation consisted of an initial screening of 18 City utility sites, followed by a structural feasibility and detailed financial evaluation of 14 sites. The study finds that there are currently four sites that are viable for solar energy installations to offset utility and facility electrical use that would result in near and long-term savings for the City. These locations include: the SMaRT Station, the City's Corporation Yard, the wastewater lift station at Baylands Park, and Ortega Well (potential solar structures would be located in Ortega Park). This report provides additional detail of...
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