The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) provides high-quality drinking water and wastewater system services to millions of California’s East Bay residents. Committed to building a sustainable future that preserves the resilience of its water supply and health of its watersheds, EBMUD invested in a 4.6 MW solar project near its Orinda facility.
Designed, built, owned and operated by TotalEnergies, EBMUD’s solar array will supply approximately 10 million kWhs of clean energy per year. In addition to offsetting 10 percent of EBMUD’s current energy costs, the system also advances the utility’s progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
“The Orinda PV project represents a leap in EBMUD’s clean energy production and supports our mission to deliver safe and affordable drinking water while protecting the environment,” said EBMUD General Manager Clifford Chan. “We believe investing in a sustainable future is the
EBMUD’s solar array contains over 12,000 high-efficiency panels mounted on single-axis trackers that maximize energy production on the 12-acre site. The site’s landscaping also incorporates vegetative screening that minimizes the system’s visibility from nearby nature trails.
Under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), TotalEnergies provides EBMUD with power at a fixed price that will provide $26 million in energy cost savings to EBMUD ratepayers over the 25-year contract term. The system will be interconnected with the local utility grid under PG&E’s Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer (RES-BCT) Program, which allows the electricity generated by the project to offset energy consumed from up to 50 of the EBMUD’s electrical accounts with PG&E.
Customer
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Location
Orinda, CA
System Size
4.6 MW
Installation Type
Ground Mount
Date of Completion
2024
Notable Benefits
EBMUD’s largest solar facility, estimated to offset 10% of utility’s energy costs and save ratepayers $26 million over system lifetime