Solano County and ENGIE North America broke ground on a $41 million new energy infrastructure upgrade program.
The new energy infrastructure includes 3.4 MW of solar, four sustainable microgrids, with 1.9 MW / 7.6 MWh of battery energy storage with microgrid controls. It also provides emergency generators, county-wide LED lighting retrofits, essential HVAC equipment replacements, and 54 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports at six locations.
The program will enable Solano County to reduce its utility expenditures and its exposure to risk of rising utility rates. The County pays nearly three million a year in utility costs, says Megan Greve, Director of General Services for the County. This program with ENGIE will offset about $2 million of that.
The County will achieve an offset of more than $60 million in utility bills over 20 years. These energy cost savings are expected to pay for most of the new and upgraded power infrastructure. The energy generation will produce nearly 90 percent of the county’s energy needs at the installation locations.
ENGIE will administer the program, which includes installation, maintenance, and limited replacement projects. ENGIE anticipates a long alliance with Solano County, as our contract includes 20 years of operations and maintenance, with a 20-year savings guarantee provided by our Customer Care team, says Stefaan Sercu Managing Director, ENGIE.