HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnergy Board - Minutes - 11/09/2017Fort Collins Utilities Energy Board Minutes
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Energy Board Chairperson
Pete O’Neill, 970-223-8703
City Council Liaison
Ross Cunniff, 970-420-7398
Energy Board Vice Chairperson
Nick Michell, 970-215-9235
Staff Liaison
Tim McCollough, 970-305-1069
Roll Call
Board Present: Vice Chairperson Nick Michell, Alan Braslau, Bill Becker, Stacey Baumgarn, Margaret
Moore, Amanda Shores, Greg Behm, John Fassler, Stacey Baumgarn
Late Arrivals: Chairperson Pete O’Neill
Board Absent: none
Others Present
Staff: Tim McCollough, Christie Fredrickson, Lance Smith, John Phelan, Coy Althoff, Bob Hover, Cyril
Vidergar, Kevin Gertig
PRPA: Paul Davis
Members of the Public: Rick Coen, John Graham
Meeting Convened
Vice Chairperson Michell called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Announcements and Agenda Changes
None
Public Comment
None
Approval of October 12, 2017 Board Meeting Minutes
Board members suggested amendments to the October 12, 2017 minutes. The minutes were approved
as amended.
[5:45] Staff Reports
(attachments available upon request)
Broadband Vote Update
Tim McCollough, Light and Power Operations Manager
The broadband vote, Ballot Question 2B, officially passed with 57.14% of the votes. A City Council Work
Session scheduled on November 28, and staff expects to receive clearer direction on how to proceed
after the vote.
Chairperson O’Neill asked if there is any more clarity on the construction schedule; Mr. McCollough said
that more direction will come from Council after the work session, and reminded the board the vote
does not require the City to move forward with broadband. Rather, it only amends the City Charter to
allow Council to authorize utility-provided telecommunication facilities and services if they so choose.
Battery Storage Pilot
John Phelan, Energy Services Manager
The purpose of the Battery Storage Pilot is to understand and demonstrate how utilities infrastructure
and programs interact with battery technologies. The Battery Storage Pilot was a budget offer for 2017-
18, and it was allocated $100,000 each year for two years.
The project is evaluating a range of use cases in both commercial and residential integration of solar plus
storage. In the first half of 2017, staff developed a dual path approach—a single commercial project
(likely to happen at the Utilities Administration Building), and a residential, rebate-driven model.
Chairperson O’Neill asked if the project funding only covers staff time to work with customers, or if it
also provides rebates to encourage participation. Mr. Phelan said the allocated $200,000 does not cover
staff time (that is paid from their regular salaries), but the rebates are provided in exchange for
information, monitoring, and control of the battery system.
Board member Braslau asked if staff could share the different use cases in the future. Mr. Phelan said
yes and they hope to come back and share their findings early next year.
Vice Chairperson Michell asked if the funding does not cover staff salaries, how much how time is staff
able to devote to this project; Mr. Phelan said Leland Keller was brought on in July 2017, and his focus is
in two areas: the residential solar rebates program, and the battery storage pilot; so in the course of a
year, he expects this project will be half of Mr. Keller’s time.
Board member Becker said Poudre Valley REA is doing a battery pilot too, said Board member Becker,
and suggested to consider their program as an additional data point.
Mr. McCollough also suggested the Future State of the Electric System Design Subcommittee could meet
regarding this topic.
Reliability and Asset Management
Bob Hover, Electric System Design & IT Manager
Coy Althoff, Asset Manager
(attachments available upon request)
Mr. Althoff is the new Asset Manager for Fort Collins Utilities, covering Light and Power, Water,
Wastewater, and Stormwater. He’s working to pull together a core team consisting of an Asset Data
Scientist, Utilities Finance Director, as well as other stakeholders such as Operations Managers. He’s
challenged with taking a localized approach to asset management and unifying it into an enterprise. Mr.
Althoff is currently working on gaining knowledge, assessing existing asset management related
practices, and benchmarking with similar utilities, such as Western Area Power Administration.
This is the beginning of a three-part series: Substation Reliability & Maintenance with Bob Hover,
Electric Distribution Maintenance Program (presenter TBD), and Utility Performance Indices (presenter
TBD).
Mr. Hover reviewed power delivery. We have three power sources, coal, hydro, and wind, which are
brought through power transmissions. There are also some cogeneration sources on the grid.
Electricity from all these sources is sent through the power substations, where the voltage is stepped
down and transmitted out among the community. The City has used a standard design for all
substations for many years, which helps to keep engineering and staff time costs down, especially for
maintenance. Substation assets are very expensive, and have long lead times prior to delivery, typically
40-52 weeks.
There are seven substations in Fort Collins, and the transformer capacity is 800 MVA. The substations
serve 940 circuit miles of underground cable, and approximately 78,000 customers. Per a 2014 Risk
Management report, the net worth of the seven substations is $53,071,024, while the average time to
design, procure equipment, construct, and commission a new substation is two years. Mr. Hover noted
that many years ago, a former engineer had the foresight to size all the substation infrastructure
equipment to handle twice the required capacity, so accommodating growth is as simple as changing
out a transformer. Because of this foresight, Fort Collins is well equipped for the future, which is a
luxury many communities don’t have.
The Electrical Substation Maintenance group’s responsibilities include: Transformers, Electrical
Switchgear & Capacitor Banks, Power Circuit Breakers, Protective Relays, Control and Power Cable
Terminations, DC Battery Banks, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA), Oil Spill Prevention
Control & Countermeasure plans (SPCC), Substation Security, National Energy Reliability Council (NERC)
Compliance.
Manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance and testing are followed, as well as NERC guidelines,
which dictate fixed interval testing for specific equipment. Many tests are completed in conjunction with
Platte River Power Authority. NERC audits are completed every six years, and the last two audits were
successful (2008 and 2014) with no violations. Other testing or inspection intervals are completed
ranging between quarterly (battery inspection/maintenance) and up to six years (battery load bank
tests, relay tests).
Mr. Hover reviewed some of the security features and practices for the substations. Board members
inquired about false trips by wildlife, and Mr. Hover said those trips do happen periodically. Vice
Chairperson Michell asked what happens if a substation gets struck by lightning; Mr. Hover said a
simulation of a full lightning strike is performed at the factory, which is part of the reason why they only
use a select group of manufacturers. Substations also have several lightning masts around the grounds,
but as far as Mr. Hover knows, lightning strikes have never affected the operation of a Fort Collins
Substation.
Fort Collins maintains high standards in safety, equipment, application, and operational practices in the
substations, which is what makes them world class. Mr. Hover said his staff is excellent, composed of
experienced and dedicated employees who take personal ownership and pride in what they build and
operate, with a management team that supports their mission.
Board member Baumgarn said he is very impressed with the degree of quality and standardization Fort
Collins uses; he is curious if that same level is utilized across the all four municipalities under Platte
River. Mr. Hover said the City has always been willing to spend money in that area, but each community
has different practices, so it is difficult to share equipment. Mr. McCollough added that the City does
have an intergovernmental agreement within Platte River for additional services, so there is some
standardization with Platte River and the other distribution utilities with regards to sharing staff and
other resources, in spite of the varying equipment.
Board Member Reports
Chairperson O’Neill went to the CSU Energy Transitions Conference; Board members Baumgarn, Shores
and Braslau were also there, along with several other City Staff members. Former Governor Ritter gave
a presentation with three other current Governors from Colorado and neighboring states (Wyoming,
and Montana). Vice Chairperson Michell watched that particular panel’s livestream, and Board member
Baumgarn suggested sharing the symposium’s broadcast tape link when it becomes available. Board
Member Shores said one thing she found particularly interesting was the process of decarbonizing fossil
fuels and how it’s most efficient at the utility scale. Chairperson O’Neill noted one of the big takeaways
from the conference was that over half of the existing coal-power capacity in the western US will be
decommissioned over the next 10 years, and the remaining plants will be over 50 years old and on the
way out anyway due to the age of the plant.
Chairperson O’Neill also noted City Council approved Time of Use on first the reading, but they selected
Option 3.
Future Agenda Review
The December Agenda is very full. Board member Braslau suggested two future agenda items, Utility
Owned Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment legislation, and Low Income Programs.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:36 p.m.
Approved by the Energy Board on December 14, 2017
________________________________ ______________
Board Secretary, Christie Fredrickson Date
12/15/2017