Town Council August 5, 2026
Bridget Wipfler, Climate Action Coordinator
FAIRFAX
MUNICIPAL
MICROGRID
CONCEPT
DISCUSSION TOPICS
Why have resilient Town Buildings?
How can we get there?
Current Solar infrastructure and how
State laws change financial incentive
for batteries
Current concept for a Fairfax
Microgrid system
Next steps
PURPOSE
Provide information on Solar/
Battery / microgrid systems
Discuss options for Fairfax
Receive Town Council
direction on how to proceed
13 outages between
2021-2024 (avg. 3.5 hrs)
Council meetings
canceled due to outages
Corp Yard needs power
for safe working
conditions
PD EV chargers unusable
during outage
WHY DO WE NEED RESILIENT TOWN
BUILDINGS?
Ensures safety and comfort during
extreme weather events
Reduces long-term repair costs
Public Works, finance, other staff
able to work during outages
Pavilion services support
community
Residents can use power sources
for phone, cars, etc.
Context: Benefits of resilience:
HOW CAN FAIRFAX
MAKE TOWN BUILDINGS
MORE FUNCTIONAL
DURING OUTAGES AND
REDUCE ENERGY
COSTS?
MICROGRID SOLAR/BATTERY
one or more solar systems
connected to and powering
MULTIPLE buildings
one solar system
connected to ONE
building
VOCABULARY
NET ENERGY METERING
Our contract with PG&E regarding
how they bill us for the energy we
produce and consume
RESILIENCE
Reliability during distruptions
CURRENT SYSTEM (NEM 1)
Solar Panels (20+
years old)
Town Hall / Police &
the Fire Station
Emergency
Gas/Diesel
Generators
Sun Energy 2 Town Buildings +
Services
Energy Grid
Extra energy sold
back to the grid
during the day (at
~47 cents / kWh)
solar powers buildings during the day
NEXT YEAR (NEM 3)
Solar Panels
Emergency
Gas/Diesel
Generators
Sun Energy 2 Town Buildings
Energy Grid
Greatly reduced
profit on energy
sold back to the
grid (~5 cents /
kWh) = energy
wasted,
revenue lost
solar only powers buildings during the day
Town Hall / Police &
the Fire Station
NEM 1 NEM 3
Pavilion solar has been on
NEM 1 contract, allowing
excess power to be sold to
the grid at full retail rates.
NEM 1 switches to NEM 3
next year (no matter what).
Starting next year, NEM 3 will
pay us 10x less for our excess
power.
This favors adding battery so
we consume the power
ourselves.
VS
NET ENERGY METERING
(NEM) IS CHANGING
MICROGRID
New Solar Panels on
Roofs
Battery Storage
No disruption to
Town services
during outages or
emergencies.
Sun Energy
All Town Buildings
Grid and generators
there if needed
INFRASTRUCTURE
PD / DPW electric vehicle fleet
powered by cost-effective energy
Add Battery storage
Pavilion Roof needs replacing
EV charging connections
Update solar panels at
Pavilion or other Town roofs
after analysis
Savings over time
Reduced utility costs offset
payments to provider
No up-front Town capital
Third-party provider would:
finance the project up front
maintain infrastructure until Town
ownership
FINANCING
CONCEPTUAL NEW SYSTEM
No payment for nighttime
energy
Saves money under NEM 3
and adds resiliency during
storms and outages
Uses solar generated during the
day
No current budget to pay
for costly infrastructure
upfront
NEM 3 updates will
drastically reduce our
revenue from solar panels
Our energy bills will
increase
Cannot access federal tax
incentives
Pavilion Roof
leaking/failing
Electrical panels
need updating for
fleet electrification
plans
20-year-old solar
panels are inefficient
SUMMARIZED CONTEXT
Town Services Energy Finances
Outages affect
public meetings &
Town services
Residents need a
reliable place for
shelter / energy /
resources
Infrastructure Needs
No upfront capital cost —
provider funds the project
Federal tax incentives
accessed through
provider
Provider covers
maintenance until Town
ownership
Lower long-term utility
costs, avoiding costly
nighttime power
Coordinates with the
Pavilion roof
replacement, avoiding
a future retrofit
Electrical panel
updated & also sized
to support fleet
electrification
upgrades
~1.5-2x more efficient
solar panels and
output
SUMMARIZED TOWN BENEFITS OF MICROGRID
Reliable Town Services Financial Benefits
Town buildings stay
operational during
outages
Facilities double as
a community
resiliency center
when the grid goes
down
Infrastructure timing
NEXT STEPS
Recommendation: Council
direct staff to continue
pursuing a microgrid solution
for the Town
Continue research of
microgrid technologies
and financing options
Issue an RFP, RFQ, or RFI
as determined by staff
Return to Council with a
proposal
What private partners will do:
Develop technical and
financial proposals
Present financing options
that minimize municipal
financial risk
Quantify expected energy
savings, resilience
benefits, and lifecycle
costs
Staff will verify proposals
and present to Council
THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?