Menlo Park moves forward with solar on five city facilities, estimates $3 million in 20‑year savings

Menlo Park officials told the Environmental Quality Commission on Dec. 17 that a citywide solar‑and‑storage partnership with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) will place photovoltaic systems on five municipal sites — the Menlo Park Library, City Hall (rooftop plus two parking‑lot carports), the Burgess Pool (panels on the gymnastics building roof) and the Belle Haven Child Development Center — with no upfront cost to the city.

Clerk Rachael Londer, who presented the update, said the program operates under a power‑purchase agreement in which PCE owns the systems, manages design, procurement and construction and handles maintenance for a 20‑year term. "We essentially pay for this through our electricity bills," Londer said, and staff estimated "just over $3 million" in utility‑bill savings over the 20‑year PPA term.

Commissioners heard that initial designs indicate City Hall and the library systems will offset roughly 90–95% of each site’s annual electricity use; the Belle Haven Child Development Center system was intentionally oversized (about 125–126% of historical usage) so the site can accommodate future electrification. Ross Fisher, PCE’s contractor, said once each system receives permission to operate it will be grandfathered into Net Energy Metering 2 (NEM2) for 20 years, preserving more favorable export and tariff treatment.

The city and its contractor stressed that the program’s near‑term focus is solar only. Batteries and energy‑storage systems are planned as a later phase: "Once we finish the solar and receive permission to operate from PG&E, at any point thereafter we can add an energy storage system and maintain our NEM2 status," Fisher said. He added that storage will be sized based on Menlo Park’s resiliency goals and used for daily peak‑shaving and time‑of‑use arbitrage as well as backup power during outages.

Staff described construction and community impacts: Meadow/ Menlo Park Library panels are nearly complete and awaiting PG&E energization; City Hall construction and scaffolding began in mid‑December and carport construction is scheduled in late January, with roughly a three‑to‑five‑week partial closure of the parking lot. Staff said accessible parking and EV charging will remain available and promised outreach materials, alternate‑parking maps and a City Solar Project webpage to keep users informed.

Commissioner Brian Kissel asked whether rooftop systems would remain useful if a facility is later redeveloped. Fisher said interconnection is tied to the meter: "From an interconnection perspective, it would be the same," he said, but added that if the building’s load grows the percentage offset will shrink and any system expansion must follow NEM2 interconnection rules (generally a 10% expansion limit without changing tariff status).

Staff also noted a technical constraint for the Burgess Pool: federal tax‑credit rules and direct‑pay structure for non‑profits limited the project from sizing the pool system to serve pool‑heating loads without jeopardizing incentive eligibility, so those loads were excluded from the baseline array.

The presentation closed with scheduling notes: final interconnection at City Hall will require a planned utility shutdown coordinated with PG&E and city staff to complete the final connection. The Commission requested continued public outreach and suggested community celebrations such as ribbon‑cuttings and youth art contests once systems are energized.

The city plans to publish regular updates on the City Solar Project webpage and to circulate construction‑impact notices via the Weekly Digest and printed signage with QR codes directing residents to updated parking maps and accessibility information.