Long Beach moves forward on solar panel project
The rooftops of up to 15 city structures could soon be dotted with solar panels , generating clean energy in effort to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The City Council this week green-lighted talks with PFMG Solar to iron out a power purchase agreement for the project, expected to save several million dollars in electricity costs over the next two decades, according to city documents. As part of the deal, the Huntington Beach-based firm will cover all costs to design, install and maintain the solar panel systems, which PFMG would own; the city would then purchase 100 percent of the power generated for up to 25 years, depending on the specific terms tied to each installation. Public Works Director Craig Beck said this is the second go-round on this agreement, first approved in 2014 with SunEdison, a firm that later declared bankruptcy amid the design process. The city initiated a new bid process in 2016, and selected PFMG Solar to do the work. “I feel Long Beach is a l...