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City approves revised 25‑year PPA with AVA for solar and battery at two facilities
Summary
After Greenbridge withdrew from a larger portfolio deal, the council authorized the city manager to execute a revised 25‑year power purchase agreement with AVA Community Energy to install rooftop solar and battery systems at the Civic Center Meeting Hall and the Maintenance Service Center; staff said there is no upfront city capital cost and the contract is expected to yield energy cost savings over 25 years.
The Livermore City Council on July 14 authorized the city manager to execute a revised 25‑year power purchase agreement (PPA) with AVA Community Energy to install rooftop solar with battery storage at two city facilities — the Civic Center Meeting Hall and the Maintenance Service Center.
City Sustainability Program Manager Tricia Panto told the council that the city previously authorized a larger portfolio of five installations to be financed and owned by a company called Greenbridge, but Greenbridge withdrew after federal‑level developments created uncertainty about rates and timelines. AVA proposed a scaled approach under which AVA would finance, install, own, operate and maintain a smaller portfolio; the revised agreement would cover two projects that staff found financially and logistically feasible and would still aim to grandfather the projects under prior net energy metering rules (NEM 2) by an April 2026 deadline.
Panto said the revised contract requires no upfront capital from the city; AVA (instead of the original financier) would own and maintain the systems and the city would pay monthly for energy generated and stored by the panels and batteries. Staff said energy costs under the revised deal would be slightly lower than standard grid rates and that the city would realize energy‑cost savings over the 25‑year contract, though not the larger immediate savings expected from the original five‑site portfolio.
Public commenter Alan Marling expressed support for the project and for pursuing more and larger solar installations in Livermore. An AVA representative thanked staff for the partnership and noted AVA’s board was enthusiastic about the revised approach. Council members thanked staff for salvaging a feasible project and discussed desires to expand to additional sites in the future (the police station was mentioned as an example). Council Member Barrientos moved and Council Member Wong seconded the motion to adopt resolutions (including CEQA exemption and authorization to execute the PPA); the motion passed unanimously.
The staff report included representative energy costs in the draft agreement — described in the hearing as roughly 23.5 cents per kilowatt‑hour for some charges and 21 cents per kilowatt‑hour for solar generation — and staff reiterated that actual savings vary with time‑of‑use rates but that the overall economics are favorable over the contract term. Staff said they will return with the executed agreement and next steps to implement the installations.
