Local Company Wants to Turn Casa's Fields into Solar Farm

A local energy company headed by a Petaluma resident wants to turn 18 acres at Casa Grande High School into a solar energy farm, helping Petaluma City Schools become a participant in the emerging California sustainable energy market and generate profits for the cash-strapped district.

On Tuesday night, Terra Verde Renewable Partners, a Larkspur solar company, stood before the Petaluma City Schools board to receive the Sustainable North Bay award from Assemblymember Jared Huffman, a prize awarded to local companies who promote sustainable practices.

Earlier this spring, Terra Verde completed installation of a 1-megawatt solar power system at Petaluma and Casa Grande high schools, which will supply 60 percent of the needed power to the two schools.

The reason the company chose Casa Grande is simple. It has lots of open space, generally sunny weather, and, most importantly, close proximity to a power station, making it ripe to become a player in the solar energy market, said Rick Brown, president of Terra Verde Renewable Partners who lives in Petaluma.

“We believe these (small, one to three megawatt solar energy projects) are going to be a big deal in the future,” said Brown, adding that big solar projects in the desert have been disappointing.

That’s because of problems putting in transmission lines, the cost of transmitting the power over long distances, and a surplus energy problem. On the other hand, smaller projects like the one Terra Verde is proposing at Casa have already generated 1,000 megawatts in California, he said.

Brown pitched the idea to the PCS board Tuesday, proposing three options for the district’s consideration: sell surplus acreage at the school to a solar developer in return for a one-time payment, lease the grounds to a developer and collect rent or form an equity investment partnership with a developer, in which the school would put up the property as an equity investment and split the profits with the developer.

Brown called the equity investment option the “most intriguing.”

Interim Superintendent for Petaluma City Schools, Steve Bolman, said the board would weigh Brown’s proposal against other land development opportunities the district may have at Casa Grande.

“I think the least viable option is to sell the property,” Bolman said. “The solar project would have to offer substantial resources to the district. The real estate market is starting to come back. There was a time when the property was of zero value to developers.”

The interest in a solar farm at Casa Grande comes on the heels of recent California legislation that demands power companies get at least 30 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2020. A program called Renewable Auction Mechanism has been set up for electric companies to buy renewable energy. 

The companies will purchase up to 140 megawatts of solar generated energy in four ‘auctions’ where they will accept bids from solar energy developers. The first of those auctions is expected in the fall, giving PCS a limited time to decide if Brown’s proposal is a good fit for the district. The selected, projects will receive guaranteed 20-year contracts, but must ensure delivery in 18 months.