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Woodside Town Council voted 5-1 to approve a 20-year resolution to partner with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to install solar panels on Town Hall and Independence Hall during its Feb. 27 meeting.
Peter Levitt, programs manager for PCE, presented details about solar energy, financial elements, and why PCE is working to expand renewable energy.
The benefits of the program include “no upfront cost to any of the participating agencies” and the town’s ability to execute the option to purchase the solar array after six years and again in 20 years.
Levitt explained that PCE’s energy prices are expected to stay the same over a 20-year period and this proposed contract will offer the town an energy price that is lower than what it is currently paying. PCE will also be using all union labor for the construction of the project.
The town will only be paying for the power produced by the solar arrays with a guaranteed flat rate over the contract period. At the end of the contract term, the town will have the option to extend the contact by five or 10 years, purchase the array at market value or to end the contact with PCE and have the panels uninstalled.
Upon the town’s agreement to the contract, PCE will have engineers and construction vendors assess and evaluate the design of the rooftop panels before approving the project. Levitt’s presentation highlighted that if the design requires any additional costs, the price will be capped at 5%.
“It’s estimated that the simple savings over the 20-year term would be $168,800, which is an average savings of $703 per month,” said Brandi deGarmeaux, Woodside’s senior management analyst, in a presentation to the council.
DeGarmeaux also discussed that the roof of Independence Hall is at the end of its life and will need a replacement prior to the solar panel installation.
To many of the council members’ surprise, Woodside’s volunteer History Committee and Climate and Sustainability Committee both submitted their support and approval of the solar PV system.
Community members during public comment expressed varied opinions on the contract.
Council member Dick Brown, who opposed the contract, as well as council member Ned Fluet, raised concerns over the rate of technology change, but was reassured by Levitt that the years of improvement on solar have already passed. Levitt explained that the cost efficiencies haven’t gone down in the past 10 years.
In support, Woodside resident Ehsan Farkhondeh pointed out that the alternative to this contract would be to continue to fund and rely on PG&E.
“You’re banking on PG&E somehow lowering your rates in the next 20 years. I’ll bet my house on the fact that is never going to happen,” said Farkhondeh.
Resident Ed Kahl, in opposition to the contract, stated that he would support a solar installation on the ground rather than on the roof.
“Solar systems five years ago are now obsolete and this one will be as quickly obsolete as any other,” said Kahl. “It’s not green to put solar on the roof. You could take the same amount of money and put twice or three times as much solar on the ground as on the roof.”
In agreement with Kahl’s public comment, Brown dissented against the contract.
“I think we ought to take another look at some of the flat areas within Woodside that are beneficial places for us to build solar farms,” said Brown.
Other council members who were on the fence prior to the presentation voted in approval of the contract.
“My biggest concern was that it’s a historical building,” said Council member Paul Goeld. “If it’s good enough for the history committee, who can be pretty strident about preserving historical sites, I’m good with it.”
Along with other benefits of solar energy as mentioned by other council members, Mayor Jenn Wall was additionally in support of the use of local union labor to construct the arrays.