Dunwoody advances vendor-financed solar for arts center and annex under SEPA

The city presented a vendor-financed solar energy procurement agreement (SEPA) to install rooftop solar on the Dunwoody Cultural Arts Center (Spruill Center) and the North Shallowford annex.

Staff recommended selecting Sunpath Solar after a competitive process. Under the proposed SEPA the private vendor would pay upfront installation costs and the city would purchase the generated energy at a negotiated rate (staff reported 9.94 cents per kWh with a 2.69% annual escalation). The city expects that each building will generate roughly 25—35% of its own demand; staff estimated about $11,000 in first-year savings across the two buildings based on the past year of bills, while stressing multi-decade projections are uncertain.

The presentation noted practical limits and next steps: the arts center roof has sloped and unusable areas and portions of the library/leasing arrangement remain the county's maintenance responsibility; staff said adding additional city buildings later is feasible but may require roofing work or separate approval. The selected vendor will also conduct a citywide review of building electric rates to identify additional savings.

A staff speaker summarized the SEPA model: the vendor installs and maintains panels at their cost, sells the electricity to the city at the agreed price, and the city continues to use its existing utility service for any remaining demand. The proposed agreement includes an educational component at the arts center to show energy generation and savings to the public.

Council discussion focused on technical details and roof conditions; councilmembers asked staff to return with clarifications about roofing responsibility for leased spaces and phased expansion options to additional city-owned sites.

Provenance: staff presentation and Q&A occurred in the meeting record during the solar procurement segment of the agenda.