Environmental Activists Push Pasadena To Accelerate Solar Installation On City Properties

Pasadena’s Municipal Services Committee heard urgent calls from environmental activists on Tuesday to accelerate solar panel installations on city-owned buildings.

During the May 13 budget workshop focusing on the Public Works Department’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget, advocates emphasized that the city had already committed to increasing local solar generation but wasn’t reflecting this priority in its implementation plans.

“City council voted unanimously to direct Public Works sister agency Pasadena Water and Power to quickly develop and implement four recommended portfolios that include a major increase in local solar generation on municipal as well as private properties,” said Jeanette Foster during public comment.

Foster also said that “Despite interest from the librarian design team, public works did not include solar panels for the central library seismic retrofit. However, the fiscal year 2026 work plan indicates that public works will begin construction on the central library retrofit in the next fiscal year, which starts July, 2026. There is still time for modification.”

Foster identified specific opportunities for solar installation that weren’t being pursued, including the Central Library project.

“Two other projects listed in the upcoming program provide excellent opportunities to add solar generation to city-owned properties, City Yard parking lot reconstruction and Hill Avenue Library.

“Municipal Services Committee should direct Public Works to implement City Council’s decision to prioritize solar generation and storage on municipal properties. The transition to solar generation must start now,” she concluded.

Cynthia Cannaday of Pasadena 100 noted the absence of solar projects in both operational planning and capital improvements.

“There’s no mention in this document of any operational or maintenance expense associated with implementation of the climate emergency resolution and the optimized strategic plan, especially the imperative to add local solar that Jeanette Foster just mentioned,” Cannady said.

“This is regrettable as it is regrettable that the CIP [Capital Improvement Program] has no mention of any solar projects on city property.”

Cannady questioned whether the department could realize cost savings through solar investments.

“Can the department save money allocated to fuel and electricity by installing solar and EV charging on public facilities on these public buildings and if so, how much?” she asked.

Cannady also inquired about federal funding opportunities.

“Has the Public Works department registered for IRA Inflation Reduction Act direct pay funding? We have an amazing opportunity here, which is still available right now. It’s been available.”

“We’ve asked about this for more than a year to get federal reimbursement of clean energy infrastructure and we’d like to know has anyone actually registered or applied? If not, we would like to know. The public would like to know why not,” Cannady added.

Some Committee members expressed support for increasing solar installations on city properties.

Councilmember Rick Cole advocated for more aggressive action.

“I do want to encourage, and I am sure I have my colleagues’ sympathy and support for this, a partnership between PWP and Public Works to install solar on our municipal facilities and when we’re replacing a roof to figure out how we can put solar in,” he said.

Cole emphasized the city’s commitment to solar expansion.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the OSP calls for a hundred megawatts of solar plus or minus, and we’re the first customers and we should be the lead,” he said.

Councilmember Jason Lyon acknowledged implementation challenges while supporting forward planning.

“We just got the council’s confirmation that we’re going to go down the road that’s going to have solar, but at least by next year’s budget and maybe in the midyear this year, we’re going to need to look at a spend,” Lyon said.

The Committee took no formal action on the solar installation requests during the meeting, which was primarily focused on reviewing the Public Works Department’s operating budget for fiscal year 2026.