General Services presented an energy program update on Jan. 13 that the department said will more than double county‑sourced solar capacity and reduce long‑term energy costs.

Brandon Cason, energy division lead, told the Board the county awarded nine solar power purchase agreements totaling about 4.2 megawatts and that, together with planned work, the county projects approximately $57 million in avoided electricity costs over 30 years from these contracts.

“We project to save about $57,000,000 over a 30 year time span,” Cason said during the presentation. He also described completed projects — including a 250 kW array at the Regional Fire Communication Center emergency operations center and an 11‑building lighting retrofit expected to save about $750,000 over 15 years — and plans to electrify aging HVAC equipment at the Casa Nueva and Santa Maria admin buildings as part of net‑zero retrofit work.

Cason outlined an award of California Energy Commission grant funding to install 150 EV charging stations for county fleets, and a plan to rely on power purchase agreements and existing county solar to cover roughly two‑thirds of the county’s electricity needs. He said procuring that energy under long‑term contracts improves cost predictability at an average price near 30¢ per kWh for the awarded agreements.

On resilience, staff raised a conceptual battery energy storage system (BESS) proposal for county‑owned land at Tejunga/Gaviota to improve grid reliability at the end of a utility service territory; the county said more evaluation is needed and that public‑works and public‑safety agencies would be involved in any next steps.

Supervisors asked about heat‑pump retrofits’ health co‑benefits, charger siting in underserved areas, maintenance for existing arrays and how capital opportunity costs are weighed; staff said projects use a mix of grants and third‑party financing when possible, and that facilities with the highest utility rates are being prioritized for retrofits.

The board received and filed the report and directed staff to continue coordination with Public Works and other departments on resilience and siting studies.

What to watch: staff plans to return with project‑level financing and implementation plans for the larger power purchase and asset projects, plus further analysis of any BESS site proposal.