Power Content Label and Energy Mix

The City of Healdsburg completed a 4.78 megawatt solar array on the recycled water treatment ponds in January 2021 at the Wastewater Treatment Facility a few miles west of Healdsburg. The project provides 8% of the City's energy needs, as well as cuts harmful algae bloom on the ponds, which improves the quality of water for local vineyards, farms, and residents that use the recycled water. 

• Fact sheet on the solar-array project 
• Live data on energy production from the solar project

Given the need for shade and renewable energy, the floating solar project provides an important co-benefit to City operations, recycled water customers, and the community.

City staff continue to increase the amount of renewable and carbon free energy provided to Healdsburg’s electric customers, such as the Antelope project to develop additional solar energy based near Lancaster, California. This additional solar will increase the City’s overall renewable energy sources by roughly 8% and help to reduce GHG emissions associated with market purchases. The Antelope Solar project was completed in late 2022.

Additionally, the City finalized a contract with South Feather Power and Water for both large and small hydro resources within the Sierras. This contract supplied Healdsburg with zero-carbon hydro generation throughout 2022. This project is expected to meet roughly 6% of Healdsburg annual energy needs and replace market purchases based mostly on natural gas generation.

Currently, the City is working with other owners of the Lodi Energy Center (LEC) natural gas plant to incorporate green hydrogen and reduce carbon emissions from the plant.

In late 2023, the California Hydrogen Hub was selected for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. What does this mean for Healdsburg?:

• The LEC provides an average of approx. 25% of the community’s annual electricity needs and is critical to providing power when solar and hydroelectric resources are not available.
• Converting the LEC from natural gas to 100% hydrogen fuel will reduce the community’s annual GHG emissions by over 5,000 metric tons per year, equivalent to removing 1,000 vehicles from the road.
• This grant funding is necessary to help maintain low energy costs and establish hydrogen as a viable clean energy fuel.
• The “hydrogen hub” will provide hydrogen not only to the LEC, but also to transportation along I-5 and over rail to the Port of Oakland to reduce emissions associated with freight.
• Converting the LEC to hydrogen fuel is critical to meeting the goals of Healdsburg’s Climate Mobilization Strategy.
• The project's timeline estimates hydrogen production to begin around 2028 with the potential for 100% hydrogen operations of the LEC by 2030.