Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belvedere Tiburon Library, town pursue joint solar and resiliency plan
Summary
The Belvedere Tiburon Library and town staff are working with BayREN to produce an energy road map aimed at powering town hall and the library for at least 72 hours during outages; library director Crystal Duran said the effort is part of a broader sustainability and disaster-resiliency plan.
Crystal Duran, director of the Belvedere Tiburon Library, told the council Sept. 16 that the library is pursuing sustainability and resiliency work that includes seeking BayREN (Bay Area Regional Energy Network) technical assistance to develop an energy road map.
Duran said library staff are pursuing a national "sustainable library certification" with a goal to complete it by 2026, and that the town and library are jointly pursuing a BayREN energy-audit grant to design solar, battery backup and generator options. "Our goal is to be able to run the both facilities on emergency backup power for at least 72 hours," Duran said. She described work to create a centralized control for both facilities’ backup systems and to explore options including rooftop solar and carport solar at the library.
Town staff said the town hall currently has an older PV system and a diesel backup generator; one likely BayREN recommendation will be replacing the town hall system and adding additional solar and battery capacity. Duran said BayREN engineers had toured the facilities the same day and the technical plan should be ready by the end of calendar year 2025. Town staff also mentioned interest in expanding electric vehicle charging as part of the broader facility plan.
Duran described the effort as both an emergency-resilience measure — to keep community-facing services available during outages — and as part of a triple-bottom-line sustainability approach that considers social equity, environment and long-term finances.
