Rohnert Park taxpayers are slated to save about $300,000 a year on the city’s electricity bill once solar panels are installed next to three city sites: the police department, Spreckels Performing Arts Center and Callinan Sports and Fitness, city leaders say.
Along with saving money — a projected $5.8 million over 20 years — the installation is also an effort to move away from relying on PG&E electricity and toward a more sustainable power supply.
“The benefits of going with a solar provider is that the rates are static for 20 years, whereas PG&E in the last two years have had roughly 13% to 15% increases,” Vanessa Garrett, the city’s public works director, said at a city council meeting Tuesday.
Rohnert Park’s plan entails a partnership with the School Project for Utility Rate Reduction, or SPURR, a group of public agencies that work together to bargain for reduced and controlled utility rates. SPURR’s solar energy is offered by San Francisco-based vendor Forefront Power. The commercial solar power developer is used by more than 75 cities and public agencies in SPURR throughout the state, including Petaluma, which finished the first phase of its solar panel construction in November.
Panels would be installed in the parking lots of each municipal property. The lots are not likely to lose parking spots but will instead, gain shaded parking spots. The 10-foot high solar panels would harness solar energy purchased from Forefront Power, which would install and maintain the panels for free.
“This is a turnkey project,” Sam Zantzinger, senior origination manager with Forefront Power, said at the council meeting.
The solar energy doesn’t preclude the city from continuing its agreement with Sonoma Clean Power, which currently provides the city power through PG&E. Rather, the purchased solar energy offsets any energy the city would have otherwise bought through its Sonoma Clean Power-PG&E deal.
“It is a supplemental source of power,” Zantzinger said, adding that Forefront Power has worked harmoniously with Sonoma Clean Power in its Petaluma project and has gotten “no objections” from the company.
City employees are preparing the solar program contract for council approval. Once the deal is finalized and signed, completion of the project is estimated for spring 2026, with savings to begin at that time.
“I’m just thrilled about this project,” council member Gerard Giudice said. “I’m in full support of it.”
Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at [email protected] or 707-521-5218.
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