Shine On Down: More Solar Power For Palo Alto

PALO ALTO - The City of Palo Alto took a big step in addressing its future energy needs when a City Council committee recommended signing a 25-year solar power contract with developer Hecate Energy.

According to several sources, the cost - about 3.7 cents/kWh - may signify the least expensive solar contract ever signed in the state. The so-called Wilsona Solar project is expected to begin producing electricity in 2021, and deliver 75,000 MWh of power in its first year of service.

The power will come from a massive solar plant located near Palmdale in Los Angeles County.

Palo Alto, in a 2013 mandate, wants to secure all of the city’s electricity from carbon-neutral sources in the future. Currently, the city gets its power from a mixture of hydroelectric, wind, solar and other sources.

The proposed contract with Hecate Energy, a Nashville-based firm, would provide about 7.5 percent of the city’s electricity needs, according to Palo Alto Online. The paper say Palo Alto will have an option of extending the contract by up to three five-year terms.

Palo Alto has solar power commitments throughout California, including five new solar power purchase agreements the City has signed over the past few years, according to information on the City of Palo Alto website.

By the end of 2016, all five projects should be online. At that point, solar energy will supply about one-third of Palo Alto’s total electricity needs on an annual basis. The proposed contract would add to that total when it comes on line in 2021.

The proposed contract still requires approval from the full Palo Alto City Council on March 21.

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