Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable): 250374
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): GS Solar, LLC dba Big Sun Solar; SunGrid Power LLC
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 5.14%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal is not 0% and is listed above
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 10%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Rate is not 0% and is listed above.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of the Purchasing Agent for approval of an award on the basis of best proposal meeting requirements and that the County Judge execute agreements with GS Solar, LLC dba Big Sun Solar; and SunGrid Power LLC for site evaluation, design, installation, operation and maintenance of the Solar for All Program for Harris County for the period of March 19, 2026 - July 4, 2030, and for the County Clerk to execute any applicable bonds to be received (250374), MWBE Contracted Goal: 5.14%.
end
Background and Discussion:
In July of 2024, Harris County received a Notice of Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a $249.7 million grant on behalf of the Texas Solar for All Coalition to implement the Solar for All program across Texas.
The Harris County Community Solar Program (Solar Program) under Solar for All will develop a portfolio of community solar and battery energy storage projects whose electricity will be used by one or more Retail Electricity Providers (REP) to serve community members of a County-organized aggregation of qualifying households. The Solar Program addresses two critical challenges: 1) rising energy costs for low-income communities across the County, and 2) the need for enhanced grid resilience during extreme weather events and power outages.
One hundred percent (100%) of the energy from the Solar Program will be aggregated through a consolidated billing product. The battery storage projects will function to both shape the load generated by the Solar Program assets and pilot opportunities for community resilience in neighborhoods surrounding their installation. These storage systems will be configured to support grid stability, provide backup power capabilities during outages, and participate in demand response and ancillary services markets.
The Solar Program will be developed exclusively on publicly-owned land and will follow a County ownership model for the assets. Seven (7) initial sites have been identified across Harris County. Each site will have a capacity of between 2-5 megawatts for a total combined capacity of up to 40 MW of solar photovoltaic generation and at least 15 MWh of battery energy storage. These assets are estimated to have a 25-year operating life and will qualify for federal Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) worth approximately 40% of the total investment.
OCA has worked closely with departments and precinct offices to identify and evaluate the initial sites for this program. Following the award of a contract through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, OCA will lead project execution and oversight. This includes coordinating with multiple stakeholders, such as the selected solar developer, retail electricity providers, utility interconnection partners, community engagement contractors, and County departments, to ensure successful program implementation and long-term performance.
Expected Impact:
With program target capacity met, Harris County can deliver approximately 20% in energy savings for up to 10,000 qualifying households, representing an estimated $468 in annual savings per household or $4.68 million in total annual community savings.
With Federal ITCs sunsetting earlier than anticipated in mid-2026, there is a time-sensitive investment opportunity to deliver the Solar Program as originally envisioned. Should Harris County qualify for the ITCs, we can expect approximately $35 million (40% of the total investment) in return. To capture these credits, projects must satisfy IRS "beginning of construction" requirements by July 4, 2026.
Additional revenue can be expected from the value of energy storage systems participating in ancillary services markets, providing grid stability services, and delivering capacity value to the system. The resilience benefits of distributed solar and storage at each site, while difficult to quantify precisely, provide significant value to surrounding communities during power outages and extreme weather events, particularly given recent experiences with Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Hurricane Beryl in 2024. The program will generate substantial local economic impact through construction jobs during the 18-24 month build period and ongoing operations and maintenance employment over the 25-year asset life, with compliance with Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements ensuring quality job creation. The environmental benefits include an estimated 57,280 lbs of CO2 equivalent avoided over the project lifetime, improvements to local air quality, and advancement of the County's Strategic Plan and Climate Justice Plan goals.
Long term, the success of this initiative can be measured through the following performance metrics, which include quantitative and qualitative data for:
- Average annual bill savings per household
- Total households served in Harris County
- Residential-serving solar electricity generated and battery storage capacity deployed
- Total estimated GHG emissions avoided based on theoretical modeling
- Community satisfaction and enrollment retention rates
- Local workforce development outcomes
Alternative Options:
The County considered several alternatives to the proposed full-scale implementation. For example, reducing the scope of the program would lower the upfront capital requirement but would result in higher per-kilowatt costs due to lost economies of scale and would fail to meet Solar for All program targets. A third-party ownership model through a power purchase agreement or lease would eliminate the County's upfront capital requirement but would forfeit the value of federal tax credits to a private developer, result in significantly higher long-term costs, and reduce the County's control over asset management and community benefits. After careful analysis, the recommended approach of full implementation with County ownership maximizes federal incentive capture, achieves economies of scale, serves the full target population of 9,500 - 10,000 households, and provides the strongest long-term financial returns.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 5. Minimize the impact of climate change and disasters.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Q: Encourage residents, businesses, and public entities to significantly reduce their environmental footprint for the health of our region.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Q2: Increase energy resilience of Harris County through deployment of affordable, reliable community solar.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any): N/A
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Anticipated Court Date: 3/19/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator, Office of County Administrator; Jeremy Woodard, Senior Sourcing Manager, Purchasing
Attachments (if applicable): Letter