Commercial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  June 4, 2024

East Bay Municipal Utility District Adds Solar 

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) added the 4.6-MW Orinda Photovoltaic Solar Energy Project, its largest solar facility.

The not-for-profit water agency and wastewater system will receive approximately 10 million kilowatt-hours of clean solar energy per year under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that was signed with TotalEnergies, which designed, built, owns and operates the solar project.

“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 in a statement. “We believe investing in a sustainable future is the right thing to do for our customers and our planet, not only for today but for future generations.”

Orinda PV contains over 12,000 high-efficiency panels mounted on single-axis trackers that maximize energy production on the 12-acre site. 

The Orinda PV project is expected to offset 10% of EBMUD’s current energy costs. The PV 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. The project’s location next to PG&E’s Sobrante Substation reduces the costs and impacts of interconnection with the electricity grid.

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