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CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
RESOLUTION NO.
SERIES 2026
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW:
(1) AWARDING AN ENERGY SERVICES CONTRACT TO SOLARNORCAL, LLC, DOING BUSINESS AS
EXCITE ENERGY, FOR THE DESIGN, INSTALLATION, AND COMMISSIONING OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SYSTEMS AT FOUR CITY FACILITIES: THE MOUNTAIN VIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY,
CITY HALL, THE MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, AND RENGSTORFF PARK AQUATICS CENTER (“PROJECT SITES”), INCLUDING ROOF REPLACEMENT WORK AT THE
MOUNTAIN VIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THE MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING
ARTS, AND A BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (BATTERY STORAGE) AT THE RENGSTORFF PARK AQUATICS CENTER, FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $3,945,750; (2) FINDING
THAT THE PROJECT SATISFIES THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS REQUIREMENTS OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 4217.12 FOR ENERGY SERVICE CONTRACTS; (3) APPROVING A
MIDYEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) PROJECT, CITY FACILITIES SOLAR PV AND
BATTERY STORAGE, FOR THE DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PV SYSTEMS AT THE
PROJECT SITES, INCLUDING ROOF REPLACEMENT WORK AT THE MOUNTAIN VIEW PUBLIC
LIBRARY AND THE MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, AND BATTERY STORAGE AT RENGSTORFF PARK AQUATICS CENTER (COLLECTIVELY, “PROJECT”); (4) TRANSFERRING AND APPROPRIATING $2,600,000 FROM THE GENERAL NON-OPERATING FUND, $1,400,000 FROM THE CIP RESERVE FUND, AND $1,000,000 FROM THE SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT CIP (PROJECT 20-99) TO FUND THE NEW CIP PROJECT; AND (5) FINDING THAT THE
PROJECT IS EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) WHEREAS, the City of Mountain View (“City”) has incorporated solar photovoltaic systems at various municipal facilities as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts and desires to expand onsite renewable energy generation, reduce electricity costs, and advance the City’s sustainability and climate action goals; and
WHEREAS, the City proposes to install solar photovoltaic systems at City Hall, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (“MVCPA”), and the Mountain View Public Library (“Library”), and to install solar carports and battery energy storage at the Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center, together with associated roof replacement work at the MVCPA and Library; and WHEREAS, the proposed solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems will increase onsite renewable energy generation and are expected to reduce electricity costs over the useful life of the systems, with the battery energy storage system at the Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center allowing excess solar energy to be stored for use during periods of high electricity demand; and
WHEREAS, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 established federal incentives for qualifying clean energy projects, including Direct Pay incentives available to eligible public agencies, and the City anticipates receiving approximately $920,190 in Direct Pay incentives for the Project; and Attachment 1
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WHEREAS, federal legislation enacted in 2025, including 26 U.S. Code § 45Y and 26 U.S.
Code § 48E, accelerated the phaseout of certain Inflation Reduction Act clean energy incentives and requires qualifying solar photovoltaic projects to be completed and placed into service by December 31, 2027, thereby creating an accelerated timeframe for the City to complete the solar photovoltaic portion of the Project and preserve eligibility for available Direct Pay incentives; and WHEREAS, the City issued a Request for Proposals on February 13, 2026, seeking qualified firms to provide design-build services for solar photovoltaic systems at the Project Sites, received six proposals, and, following evaluation of the proposals, interviews, and reference checks, determined that SolarNorcal, LLC, doing business as Excite Energy (“Contractor”), provided the best overall value to the City; and
WHEREAS, the Contractor’s proposal includes the design, installation, and commissioning of the solar photovoltaic systems, solar carports, battery energy storage, and associated roof replacement work, and the Contractor has separately proposed an initial two-year operations and maintenance term for the solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems; and WHEREAS, the City desires to establish a Capital Improvement Program project, City Facilities Solar PV and Battery Storage, to fund the Project, including the Energy Services Contract, the initial two-year term of the operations and maintenance contract, and City-incurred project implementation and oversight costs; and
WHEREAS, the City has sufficient funds available from existing City funding sources and desires to transfer and appropriate $2,600,000 from the General Non-Operating Fund, $1,400,000 from the CIP Reserve Fund, and $1,000,000 from the Sustainability Project Capital Improvement Program (Project 20-99), for a total appropriation of $5,000,000 to fund the Project; and
WHEREAS, based on estimated electricity cost savings, City-incurred Project costs, and IRA Direct Pay incentives, the proposed solar and battery systems, including the planned roof replacement work, are projected to generate approximately $4.5 million in cumulative net savings for all proposed sites over 20 years; and
WHEREAS, to facilitate timely implementation of the Project and preserve eligibility for available Inflation Reduction Act Direct Pay incentives, staff recommends using an Energy Conservation Contract pursuant to California Government Code Section 4217.10, et seq.; and WHEREAS, as required by California Government Code Section 4217.12, certain findings for an energy service contract must be made by the City Council at a regularly scheduled public hearing that demonstrate: (1) the energy project is in the best interest of the City; and (2) the anticipated cost to the City for the electrical energy provided by the Project under the contract will be less than the anticipated marginal cost to the City of thermal, electrical, or other energy that would have been consumed by the City in the absence of the Project; and -3-
WHEREAS, the Project does not include any facility ground lease that is necessarily related to the energy service contract;
WHEREAS, the Project was competitively procured through the Energy Conservation Contracting process, and the Contractor’s proposal was determined to provide the best overall value to the City based on the evaluation criteria established in the Request for Proposals; and WHEREAS, the financial analysis demonstrates positive lifecycle economic benefits from the solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems, and the anticipated energy cost savings and federal Direct Pay incentives are expected to provide long-term financial benefits to the City; and
WHEREAS, the Project consists of improvements to existing City facilities, does not involve expansion of existing uses, and does not involve significant environmental impacts; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Mountain View does hereby award an Energy Services Contract to SolarNorcal, LLC, doing business as Excite Energy, for the design, installation, and commissioning of solar photovoltaic systems at the Mountain View Public Library, City Hall, the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, and Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center (collectively, “Project Sites”), including roof replacement work at the Mountain View Public Library and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and a battery energy storage system at the Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center, for an amount not to exceed $3,945,750; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Mountain View does hereby determine and find, pursuant to California Government Code Section 4217.12, that entering into the energy services contract with Excite Energy is in the best interest of the City; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Mountain View finds that the anticipated cost to the City for electrical energy or conservation services provided by the energy conservation facilities under the energy services contract with Excite Energy will be less than the anticipated marginal cost to the City for thermal, electrical, or other energy that would have been consumed by the City in the absence of those facilities; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Mountain View does hereby approve a midyear Capital Improvement Program project, City Facilities Solar PV and Battery Storage, for the design and installation of solar photovoltaic systems at the Project Sites, including roof replacement work at the Mountain View Public Library and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and battery energy storage at the Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center (“Project”); and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: that $2,600,000 shall be transferred and appropriated from the General Non-Operating Fund, $1,400,000 shall be transferred and appropriated from the CIP -4-
Reserve Fund, and $1,000,000 shall be transferred and appropriated from the Sustainability Project Capital Improvement Program, Project 20-99, to the City Facilities Solar PV and Battery Storage Capital Improvement Program project to fund the Project; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council of the City of Mountain View does hereby find that the adoptions of this Resolution and related actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), Public Resources Code section 2100 et seq., pursuant to California Public Resources Code section 21080.35(a) as the Project’s solar photovoltaic systems is an installation of a solar energy system on the roof of an existing building or at an existing parking lot; on a separate and independent basis, this action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14 (CEQA Guidelines) section 15301 (Class 1, Existing Facilities) asthe Project’s solar photovoltaic systems, as well as the battery energy storage system and associated improvements, are minor alterations of existing public structures or facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use; on a further separate and independent basis, this action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15303 (Class 3, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) as the Project’s photovoltaic systems is a new small structure or conversion of existing small structure from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure; on a further separate and independent basis, this action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15302 (Class 2, Replacement or Reconstruction) asthe Project’s roof replacement work at the Mountain View Public Library and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts is a replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Manager or designee is authorized to enter into the energy services contract with Excite Energy for the Project, and to execute any documents necessary to implement the Project, subject to applicable legal and budgetary requirements. – – – – – – – – – – –