Publication Date: Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Solar panels new battlefront for Baylands fight
Solar panels new battlefront for Baylands fight
(November 02, 2005) Opponents argue environmentally oriented proposal would detract from environment
by Bill D'Agostino
The ongoing struggle over land near Palo Alto's Baylands Nature Preserve has a new battleground: solar panels planned for the front of a municipal property on East Bayshore Road.
City administrators argue the locale is ideal for the panels since it's visible from Highway 101. They say the project would showcase Palo Alto's interest in green power to passing motorists.
But critics, including members of the city's Planning and Transportation Commission, argue the vertical "trackers" that would hold the panels and rotate to follow the sun are not appropriate for land near the low-lying wetlands.
Former Councilwoman Emily Renzel, who's leading the charge, called them "blank billboards." The panels would measure 10 feet by 15 feet and the trackers could be up to 27 feet high, according to a city staff report.
The City Council is scheduled to review the project on Dec. 5. In September, the planning commission recommended, by a 3-2 vote, that the council reject the staff's proposal for 10 vertical panels.
"The majority felt it was really detracting from the Baylands," said Karen Holman, the commission's vice chair.
As a result of the commission's vote, the staff will retool their proposal for the council, likely limiting the number of trackers.
Planning Commissioner Daniel Garber, who voted in favor of the project, declined to comment, saying he was concerned the project could come back to the commission and his comments would create a conflict of interest.
The proposal is one of two moving forward at the same time for the same location, which houses the Municipal Services Center. The city is also considering moving the center to build an "auto mall."
"We have staff working at counter purposes," Holman said.
Planning Manager John Lusardi responded that the auto dealership proposal is only in its early stages and the solar panels could always be moved.
The panels are part of a larger city project that would promote solar energy by adding photovoltaic panels to various municipal locations around Palo Alto.
Under the proposed project, panels would also be placed on the roofs of the Cubberley Community Center and the Baylands Interpretive Center. Unlike the Municipal Services Center, the latter location has not drawn controversy.
"It will be a very low-profile, low-visibility project," said Lindsay Joye, marketing engineer with the Utilities Department.
A proposal to place open-air garages with solar panels on top over the parking lot at the Municipal Services Center has also been mostly well received.
The various locales will each have different types of solar panels, although the specific models would depend upon the companies that respond to the city's proposal.
"We want to showcase the technology to our community," Joye said. In total, the project would produce approximately 604,500-kilowatt hours of energy per year, according to the staff report. The 10 trackers could produce nearly 57,000-kilowatt hours per year. Fewer trackers would obviously produce less energy.
The energy would be used to power city facilities and would also be sold to residents and businesses through PaloAltoGreen, the city's program where customers purchase all of their energy from wind and solar sources.
It's hoped the photovoltaic project will encourage property owners to place photovoltaic panels on their homes and businesses. Already, 105 residents and five businesses have done so.
"We're excited to have the city follow the community's lead," Joye said.
All told, the project will cost $2.8 million, with half coming from a federal grant and half coming from the Utilities Department.
The new fight has shades of an earlier battle: the debate over the Environmental Services Center, a recycling and composting facility city officials proposed to replace the city's landfill when it closes in 2011.
Like this new dispute, that debate pitted a competing environmental value against preserving the Baylands. The council rejected the Environmental Services Center proposal on a 5-4 vote in February.
Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
