East Bay Municipal Utility District
TotalEnergies and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) have commissioned the Orinda Photovoltaic Solar Energy Project (Orinda PV), EBMUD’s largest solar facility. The 4.6 MW project, designed, built, owned and operated by TotalEnergies, will provide the non-profit water agency with approximately 10 million kWh of clean solar energy per year under a long-term PPA, significantly reducing EBMUD’s greenhouse gas emissions compensated. furthering the utility’s progress toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
“The Orinda PV project represents a leap in EBMUD’s clean energy production and supports our mission to provide safe and affordable drinking water while protecting the environment,” said EBMUD General Manager Clifford Chan. “We believe that investing in a sustainable future is the right thing to do for our customers and our planet, not just for today but for generations to come.”
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Orinda PV contains more than 12,000 high-efficiency panels, mounted on single-axis trackers, that maximize energy production on the 12-hectare site. The site’s landscaping includes vegetative screening that minimizes visibility of the PV system from nearby nature trails and the Briones Reservoir, a popular recreation area.
The Orinda PV project is expected to offset 10% of EBMUD’s current energy costs. The PV system will be connected to the local electric 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 the energy consumed by up to 50 of the EBMUD electricity bills with PG&E. The project’s location adjacent to PG&E’s Sobrante substation reduces the costs and impacts of interconnecting with the electric grid.
News item from TotalEnergies