Foothill Medical Center gets 300 kW solar plus roof upgrade with no upfront cost

Foothill Medical Center Association has completed a 300-kilowatt rooftop and carport solar project at its Foothill Ranch, California property through a fully financed power purchase agreement. The deal also bundled full roof reconditioning, aiming to cut energy costs, reduce emissions and avoid a special assessment or reserve draw.

Why it matters: - Commercial HOAs often delay solar projects because roof replacement can turn a clean-energy upgrade into a much bigger capital expense. - Foothill Medical Center Association avoided that tradeoff by combining solar and roof reconditioning in one financed deal. - The structure delivered lower energy costs, a warrantied roof and no upfront payment from the Association.

What happened: - Foothill Medical Center Association energized a 300-kilowatt rooftop and carport solar system at 26700 Towne Centre Drive in Foothill Ranch, California. - The project was completed through a fully financed power purchase agreement. - Sunrock Distributed Generation financed the project. - WattHub Renewables developed the project. - SunRenu Solar built the system and completed the roof work. - The Association received a fully operational solar system and comprehensive roof reconditioning across all solar-supporting individual tenant units. - The project carried no upfront cost. - The system has received Permission to Operate.

The details: - The solar array is forecast to generate about 506,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. - The system is expected to offset about 95% of the center’s Southern California Edison load under the GS-2-TOU tariff. - The project is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 359 metric tons a year. - That reduction is equivalent to removing 78 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road each year. - The project includes a full roof reconditioning scope bundled into the PPA. - The monitoring provider is Wattch. - The project structure is a power purchase agreement with zero upfront cost to the Association. - The bundled scope and financing were designed to avoid the usual sequence of removing solar panels, replacing the roof and reinstalling the array later.

Between the lines: - The deal is a template for commercial HOAs that want solar but face roofs near the end of their useful life. - WattHub Renewables structured the economics so the PPA could support both the solar installation and the roof reconditioning. - SunRenu Solar completed the roof and solar scopes together to reduce construction disruption. - The approach shifts the project from a capital burden to a monthly operating expense. - The Association avoided a special assessment and avoided drawing from reserves.

What’s next: - The Association will operate the solar system under the PPA and continue using the reconditioned roof under warranty. - WattHub Renewables said the Foothill project is being used as a model for other commercial HOAs across Southern California. - The combined solar-and-roof financing approach is likely to appeal to properties that need both energy savings and roof repair at the same time.

The bottom line: - Foothill Medical Center Association got clean power, a new roof solution and budget certainty in one transaction, without writing an upfront check.