Press release: Palo Alto wants solar on its City-owned properties
Solar projects atop five City-owned parking structures will generate clean local energy, and municipal revenue, in the heart of Silicon Valley.
March 26, 2014
NEWS RELEASE: Palo Alto wants solar on its City-owned properties
Solar projects atop five City-owned parking structures will generate clean local energy, and municipal revenue, in the heart of Silicon Valley
PALO ALTO, CA – Yesterday, the City of Palo Alto issued a request for proposal (RFP) to develop solar canopy projects on the top level of five City-owned parking structures. This move by Palo Alto, a City that has adopted plans to only pursue carbon-neutral energy sources, underscores the value of adding local renewables.
Through this RFP, titled Lease of City Parking Structures for Installation and Operation of Photovoltaic Facilities, Palo Alto is seeking proposals to lease its five City-owned parking structures for solar electric power generation that will be purchased by the City and contribute to its renewables portfolio needs.
The selected projects will receive a fixed rate of 16.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for 20 years. This fixed-rate, standardized power purchase agreement is part of Palo Alto CLEAN – an existing program by the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) to purchase up to 3 megawatts (MW) of solar electricity generated by projects located within the CPAU service territory.
Proposals will primarily be evaluated based on project effectiveness, economics, and aesthetics. Specifically, the City will consider the amount of energy produced, the amount the project developer will pay to lease space from the City, and the amount at which the developer will sell the installation to the City at the end of the 20-year Palo Alto CLEAN contract.
“The Clean Coalition is thrilled that its team members designed and coordinated the development this RFP, which provides a new model for cities and utilities around the country to deploy renewables on built-environments. The benefits of distributed energy resources are increasingly clear across the country,” said Craig Lewis, Executive Director of the Clean Coalition. “And Palo Alto is showing that local renewables can generate energy that is delivered to utilities rather than being limited to onsite loads. This will be increasingly important in California where stringent Zero Net Energy mandates will require community power configurations”
A non-mandatory, pre-proposal teleconference will be held on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 starting at 10am PT. All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to participate. Access the teleconference by calling (712) 432-1212, Meeting ID: 677-165-523, PIN: 2775.
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Contact:
John Bernhardt
john@clean-coalition.org
(703) 963-8750
About the Clean Coalition
The Clean Coalition is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and a modern grid through technical, policy, and project development expertise. For further information on the Clean Coalition, please visit www.clean-coalition.org.
