District says Measure T solar has saved about $2.1 million; one site had equipment outage

Mountain View Whisman officials updated the board on April 16 about the district's Measure T solar program and its financial and operational performance. Chief Business Officer Westover and Emily Douglas of OpTerra described system design choices, production monitoring and maintenance plans, and reported cumulative energy savings.

Douglas said systems were sized to offset about 80% of each site's annual usage and described daily production curves and site-specific monitoring. Using the contract's evaluated value of produced electrons, the district realized approximately $595,000 in avoided PG&E costs in year one and about $518,000 in year three; overall the district has saved roughly $2.1 million to date based on measured meter production (presenters' figures).

Staff noted one site, Castro Middle School, experienced reduced production in year four because of an electrical equipment issue; the contractor indicated there may be a shortfall relative to that site's production guarantee. Westover described ongoing monitoring, monthly reporting to staff, annual cleaning and preventive maintenance, and confirmed that inverter replacements and other expected maintenance are included in the district's maintenance budget.

Public commenter Mr. Nelson asked whether administrators receive free electricity from district EV chargers; staff said daytime charging for staff had been allowed historically but that after-hours charging is pay-to-play and usage is tracked. Trustees requested periodic reporting (suggested cadences included two-year guarantee reviews and quarterly summaries) comparing expected performance to actual production and asked staff to clarify lifecycle replacement costs.