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HomeMy WebLinkAboutENERGY BOARD - MINUTES - 03/13/2025 ENERGY BOARD March 13, 2025 – 5:30 pm 222 Laporte Ave – Colorado Room ROLL CALL Board Members Present: Alan Braslau, Frederick Wegert, Wendell Stainsby, Scott Canonico, Brian Smith (remote), Jeremy Giovando, Marge Moore Board Members Absent: OTHERS PRESENT Staff Members Present: Christie Fredrickson, Brian Tholl, Travis Walker, Dashiell Bubar-Hall, Zach Borton (PRPA), Melie Vincent (PRPA), Paul Davis (PRPA), Javier Camacho (PRPA), Michael Authier, Yvette Lewis-Molock (remote) Members of the Public: Aleksander Thorstensen, Rick Coen, Halee Wahl MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Chairperson Smith called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. ANNOUNCEMENTS & AGENDA CHANGES None. PUBLIC COMMENT Rick Coen said the Riverside Community Solar Garden is not online yet, but they are in final testing and hope to see it online by next week. APPROVAL OF MINUTES In preparation for the meeting, board members submitted amendments via email for the February 13, 2025, minutes. The minutes were approved as amended. ELECTRIC VEHICLE READINESS ROADMAP UPDATE Dashiell Bubar-Hall, Planner, Transit In the City’s Transportation Hierarchy, electric vehicles are not the highest priority, but they play a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability goals, and long-term reduction for cost of vehicle ownership (from a consumer standpoint). Electric Vehicles are here to stay for the foreseeable future with increasing market share, more models & vehicle types available, and increased affordability. Locally, 20% of new vehicles purchased are EVs. Taking EVs into account and planning for them is in everyone's best interest. Board members discussed factors influencing cost of ownership over the lifetime of EVs (compared to combustion engines) and Mr. Tholl added that the efficiency works website has an EV tool page designed to help identify cost comparisons of the electricity, gasoline, maintenance, and insurance between different vehicle types. Mr. Bubar-Hall explained that one of the biggest perceptions around EVs is that they're still “dirty” because they use electricity and that's generated somehow and there is greenhouse gases associated with that electricity generation. He displayed a graph (from the International Energy Agency) comparing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of electricity to fuel the vehicles for the internal ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING combustion engines (the extraction and refinement process of getting oil to gasoline), and the two process are quite comparable. Contrastingly, there is quite a significant savings in GHG emissions when it comes to combusting fuel; so, while electricity is a part of the emissions for both types of cars, GHG emissions are in much lower values over the lifetime of an EV, producing a net GHG benefit in the end. Vice Chairperson Moore asked if this analysis includes manufacturing both types of cars through their entire lifetime of usage. Mr. Bubar-Hall said this study did take the full life cycle into consideration, including the battery process (which is GHG intensive). He noted that it takes about 25,000 miles on an EV to overcome the emissions associated with the battery production. The Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap (EVRR) has a vision statement: Fort Collins will promote the community’s adoption of electric vehicles through equitable access to charging infrastructure, engaging outreach and education, innovative policy approaches, and leading by example. Mr. BH said staff believes this is realistic (not aspirational) vision statement. EVs are here and the City wants to be thoughtful and strategic about how they are supported moving forward, without overextending on things like infrastructure. Staff identified six goal areas: Mobility, Equity, Environmental, Utility/Grid Infrastructure, Residential Charging, and Policy. Mr. Bubar-Hall explained that there are many sustainable transportation choices out there (aside from personal vehicle ownership) that can be or currently are electrified. Staff plans to reinforce the different mobility options. He noted that electrifying transit options typically move the needle the most toward community climate goals within transportation and emissions. Mr. Bubar-Hall acknowledged that equity wasn’t a big part of the last iteration of the EVRR, but there are more affordable options today, as well as opportunities for low-income households to get into an electric vehicle. On that same note, staff believes those folks should also have access to charging infrastructure whether they’re in multifamily homes or different parts of the city. The Utility Infrastructure goal supports the need for public charging infrastructure and the corresponding utility infrastructure needed to make charging available as demand grows. Mr. Bubar-Hall said being able to charge at home is usually the biggest indicator if an electric vehicle makes sense for someone, as 85% of charging currently happens at home. The Fort Collins community is roughly 50/50 in terms of single-family and multi-family, as well as 50/50 owners and renters, which leaves a big portion of the community without reliable access to home charging infrastructure. Finally, City staff have also made some policy changes over the years, including the building code (now includes an EV-ready ordinance and permitting process). The EVRR was initially put together in 2018, and staff is following the same format for this update. The document has two main sections, one dedicated to a high-level overview of EVs, and a readiness strategy that will help position the City to support EVs in the future. Mr. Bubar-Hall noted that it was important to staff to have an even-handed portrayal this time, so there is more focus on equity, as well as pros and cons to EVs (such as vehicles per household, charging capabilities, cost of ownership, etc.). The document also highlights other transportation options out there, such as e-bikes and e-scooters. As part of this project, staff put out a community questionnaire to evaluate the community’s perception of EVs. Mr. Bubar-Hall noted that most participants who completed the survey were EV owners, so the responses skew toward ownership. That said, one thing that stuck out from the survey was that of the people who own EVs, 85% of them are able to charge at home (which is in line with the national average). The survey also reiterated that some of the biggest barriers to EV ownership are purchase price, charging availability, and cold weather performance (batteries discharge quicker and are slower to charge in colder weather). ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING There are currently about 5,000 EVs in the community, and at the end of Quarter 4 last year, 30% of new vehicles purchased were EVs. Staff expects EV adoption will be growing at a meaningful pace in the coming years. There are currently 147 Level 2 Public Charging Ports in Fort Collins, and 6 Level 3 Public Charging Ports (fast chargers). The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has a tool that projects how many public charging ports a community might need based on their current level of EV ownership. NREL’s assessment shows a need of 151 Level 2 ports and 15 Level 3 ports, so there is a slight community deficit, especially for level 3 ports. Mr. Bubar-Hall said the City will need to be mindful to keep up with public charging needs in order to not fall too far behind in that deficit. The City hasn’t expanded their public charging infrastructure in a few years, and there are some barriers worth mentioning, including cost of installation, the ongoing maintenance costs, the lack of return on investment, and an unclear funding future. Many outside providers, such as Tesla, have been avoiding installing charging stations in Fort Collins due to the City’s capacity fee structure, which can add on several thousand dollars on top of the installation cost. While staff agrees there is a role for the City to support charging infrastructure, Mr. Bubar-Hall said there is a clear need to be strategic and thoughtful about it. Board member Canonico asked for more details on the fees that make charging infrastructure cost prohibitive. Staff explained it is the cost of adding electrical service to the grid (capacity and impact fees) as well as site modifications (such as trenching fees). These can sometimes add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Walker added that staff recognizes that these fees are high and likely limit a lot in town. It used to be that the capacity fees were high, but rates were low; now there are new rate pressures on our system with needed replacements and other projects, and rates (while still some of the lowest) have risen. Board member Stainsby wondered if there are other places, states or jurisdictions, that are implementing requirements to install level 2 charging stations at new construction multifamily or commercial sites. Mr. Bubar-Hall said after the building code was updated in 2022, the City does require a certain percentage of parking spaces to have chargers installed, as well as a certain number of EV ready and EV capable. Board member Giovando asked what the timeline is for the document update. Mr. Bubar-Hall said staff is tentatively planning for May 2025 as they are just beginning to wrap up their final edits. He will share the final document with the Board, and they will have an opportunity to provide final comments before it’s officially completed. Mr. Giovando wondered if there are prioritized activities for the implementation. Mr. Bubar-Hall said they plan to stand up a working group to identify what can happen first in terms of short- term projects and funding sources. Vice Chairperson Moore wondered if vehicle-to-grid is part of the scope of what this plan? Mr. Bubar-Hall said staff acknowledges that the technology exists, but there is a lot of support still needed to fully realize the capability, such as cars with that capability, the software, the charging infrastructure, etc. Mr. Walker added that it is part of Platte River’s Virtual Power Plant plans, but it is still a coming-soon technology. DISTRIBUTED UTILITY SCALE BATTERY STORAGE UPDATE Zach Borton, Platte River Power Authority Mr. Borton is the DER Service Manager at Platte River Power Authority. He is here tonight to give an update on a project that the Board has been talking about recently, which is large scale distributed utility size battery. This project is in partnership with all four of Platte River’s owner communities, with each community being home to a 5MW battery with a four-hour duration (within the Platte River distribution ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING grid). Mr. Borton explained that large energy storage, or utility-scale storage, is a challenge among many electricity providers as they try to transition toward a non-carbon future in a fluctuating-demand environment. Maintaining balance is becoming more challenging, but without energy storage, these imbalances can contribute to inefficiencies and possible grid instability. Mr. Borton emphasized that energy storage is an important component in a more sustainable, reliable, and efficient energy future for our communities. Platte River thinks about energy storage in four layers: long-duration storage, utility-scale storage, distributed storage, and customer-sited storage (enrolled in a VPP). Location matters when it comes to storage; for example, when long-duration storage becomes commercially viable it is going to help bridge the gap during a dark calm period (long periods where there isn’t wind or solar generation). On the next level down, utility scale storage can be paired well with renewable projects to optimize supply timing. Then, distributed and customer sided storage will help balance the load as electrification and distributed sort solar reshape the demand and energy profile. Mr. Borton noted the load needs to be served by generation, and as we get further into the future it’s good to have flexibility within the loads to better match the generation. Platte River’s 2018 Resource Diversification Policy mentions energy storage as an enabling technology, but it also mentions that both the price and performance need to improve. Throughout that time, resource planning and origination research continued to track the market as it evolved. By 2022, there was an RFP that was looking for both solar and storage which produced nine distribution bids. That got Platte River’s DER group about siting storage on the distribution as an additional service to our owner communities in collaboration, which brought us into 2023. Platte River staff brought the bids to the owner communities and suggested they collaborate on use cases, consider locations, and work together to find a preferred vendor. Going into 2025 and 2026, staff will be working through land leases and begin the engineering and construction portion of the project. Once land leases are finalized, he engineering can be completed, the permitting will be submitted, and then the interconnection process can begin. Mr. Borton said Platte River and owner community staff are hoping to be constructed by late 2026 or early 2027. In collaboration with the owner communities, Platte River tried to identify locations that were being stressed by potential overloads or forecasted to be overloaded in the future. The project provides a learning opportunity as a “sandbox” for future Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), enabling greater renewable integration by managing load fluctuations from intermittent sources, as well as ensuring grid reliability and resilience. A battery also provides efficient operations so Platte River can strategically collaborate together with the owner communities and begin to think about how to stack use cases across the system to maximize savings for all. Because its an adaptable asset, it remains flexible on changing systems, and it allows for the possibility to work together to defer future infrastructure needs. Board member Braslau commented that it seems like batteries would be a better fit for Platte River than the planned aeroderivative natural gas turbines. Mr. Borton said price is the biggest consideration at this time; going all storage today would be very, very expensive. Mr. Walker added that it’s important to keep in mind this project started in 2023 and won’t be online until 2027 and is 5MW for four hours of storage; that is less than one of Light & Power’s distribution circuits for four hours. The scale needed to enable something to support one community, let alone all four, would be massive. Mr. Davis also reiterated that this is a sandbox project and will teach Platte River and the communities a lot about its functionality and ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING use cases for larger projects in the future. Mr. Borton said one experience staff is hoping to learn is joint dispatch operations of a future VPP, including distribution and wholesale transmission benefits. When he is analyzing these curves they often do align, so there are opportunities to maximize an asset while leveling out distribution, leveling out transmission and generation all at the same time. Board member Canonico asked if there is resistance on the land leasing side of the project. Mr. Borton said no, staff is currently working through competing priorities, agreements, and red lines with all the involved parties. Board member Braslau said he envisions having storage every substation someday, he expects that could provide valuable services and not have a lot of these barriers. Mr. Walker agreed, he said he pictures multiple sites on the distribution system and substations so that there's more flexibility on what circuits the Utility could inject that energy onto, providing a little bit more control without having to travel backwards over our system to get to it. Mr. Tholl added it could also help inform future substation designs as well. Board member Canonico said it makes sense to build institutional knowledge to learn and build confidence, and then be able to maintain confidence within the community, and he thanked staff for their diligence through this process. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Today is board member Braslau’s last meeting as he is term limited. The Board and staff thanked him for his years of service. FUTURE AGENDA REVIEW In April, the Board will welcome three new Board members: Jason Hevelone, Natalie Montecino, and Aleksander Thorstensen. They will hear presentations on year end financials, Our Climate Future updates, and Energy Services program progress. ADJOURNMENT The Energy Board adjourned at 7:31 pm.