Sustainability alliance upgrades energy infrastructure in Solano County
Solano County, California, and renewable energy services provider ENGIE North America, have broken ground on a $41 million new energy infrastructure upgrade programme as part of a sustainability alliance.
The new energy infrastructure includes 3.4MW of solar, four sustainable microgrids, with 1.9MW/7.6MWh of battery energy storage with microgrid controls.
It also provides emergency generators, county-wide LED lighting retrofits, essential HVAC equipment replacements, and 54 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports at six locations.
The programme aims to enable Solano County to reduce its utility expenditures and its exposure to risk of rising utility rates.
“The County pays nearly three million a year in utility costs,” stated Megan Greve, director of general services for the County. “That is for the entire county and not just the project sites. This programme with ENGIE will offset about $2 million of that.”
The County will achieve an offset of more than $60 million in utility bills over 20 years. These energy cost savings are expected to pay for most of the new and upgraded power infrastructure. The energy generation is forecasted to produce nearly 90% of the county’s energy needs at the installation locations.
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“Solano County currently relies heavily on the power grid, and our rates went up eight percent this year,” added Greve. “This new programme figured in annual increases of 4.5% as part of its savings calculations, so the benefits could be even greater than anticipated.”
ENGIE will administer the programme, which includes installation, maintenance and limited replacement projects.
“ENGIE anticipates a long alliance with Solano County, as our contract includes 20 years of operations and maintenance, with a 20-year savings guarantee provided by our customer care team,” commented Stefaan Sercu managing director, ENGIE. “This means that if the new infrastructure’s power generation doesn’t meet certain targets, ENGIE will pay the County back.”
Solano County’s programme further aims to create resilient energy generation and distribution, enabling the county to maintain power for critical operations during power outages and public safety power shutoff events (PSPS).
The announcement comes in as Solano County and its citizens have been impacted by the effects of wildfires that have triggered shutoffs.
Once the new infrastructure is in place, whenever there is a power outage, important county facilities can remain operational at the microgrid locations. This will ensure continuity of service to many county residents, including its most vulnerable citizens.
The projects include installations at the Health and Social Services complex in Fairfield, the Fairfield Civic Center Library, the Juvenile Detention Center in Fairfield, the Vallejo campus, and the William J. Carroll Government Center in Vacaville.
