Council advances City Hall solar plan but wants bigger batteries
Clean Power Alliance grant would fund panels and storage, but members say 8-hour backup is too small for a Southern California Edison shutoff.
By Hans Laetz
Another step has been taken toward adding solar power at Malibu City Hall. But city council members say the system is too small to handle emergency needs.
The Clean Power Alliance has a grant program for government agencies and is offering to buy the city a solar and battery system. Monday night, the City Council approved the concept.
But the batteries will be too small to power City Hall for more than 8 hours. There would still need to be generators to keep the lights on all night during a Southern California Edison power cutoff.
Three councilmembers gave the green light to continue the design concept, but they said they want the size of the panels and batteries increased. A spokesman for the Clean Power Alliance says that can be done.
The money for this is payback from the CPA to the city. It is a cooperative and not a profit-making company like its competitor, Southern California Edison. With SCE returning an 11 percent profit margin to its shareholders, CPA has a profit that it can use for community projects.
It was a 3-0 vote. Steve Uhring was absent, and Bruce Silverstein took a pass on the issue because he owns a house right next to City Hall.
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