Mendocino County opts for smaller cash-funded solar project at administrative center

Mendocino County supervisors voted to proceed with a smaller, cash-funded solar project at the county administrative center rather than a larger financed package covering five sites.

The board voted unanimously to direct staff to pursue “option 2,” a $1,516,000 solar-only project at the administrative/planning building funded with the county’s remaining PG&E carbon-reduction settlement funds, and to continue work with Ameresco on next steps and scope details.

County staff and Ameresco presented two primary project models. Ameresco’s larger proposal would have covered solar arrays at multiple county sites plus heat-pump water heaters for jails and was estimated at roughly $4.9 million; Ameresco said that package showed a projected cumulative net savings of about $8.14 million over 25 years (not discounted). The smaller option uses $1.5 million in cash, would not require financing, and was shown in Ameresco materials as yielding a roughly $1.99 million nominal 25-year net savings (not discounted).

Doug Anderson, Mendocino County Capital Projects Manager, told the board the goal of the…