2015-06-23_PWETC_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Mr. Drake sought the experience of the PWETC related to solar gardens to -date, with Chair Stenlund and Vice Chair Cihacek providing a recap of past presentations, and the continued interest by Roseville residents in energy choices, whether through partnering or making investments; and the full support of the PWETC toward those efforts. Reports also included submission by the City for grants to place solar arrays on City rooftops and those of community schools as well; along with a roof -mounted photovoltaic assembly (PVA) for the City itself to purchase through a phased, city -shared system; and several church groups in the community making it part of their organizational efforts as well. For the benefit of newer commissioners, Mr. Drake provided a basic overview of solar gardens, potential players involved in a solar garden project, how it worked with Xcel Energy Programs and a third party operator primarily running the solar garden with the utility approving the garden, tracking energy production and providing credit for subscribers. Mr. Drake reviewed drivers behind solar gardens; 2013 policy enabling Xcel Energy's community solar garden, federal investment tax credits available at 30% through 2016 and then falling to 10% in 2017 and impacting subscription rates, and customer/community member demand potential. Mr. Drake advised that no projects had yet been approved in Minnesota, with a hearing scheduled in the next few days at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), with one of the engineering questions being how much solar the energy grid can handle, and once the limit was reached, latecomers would be stuck with the cost to upgrade the grid, with those costs very unrealistic for most participants. Discussion included how many and the varying sizes of projects and project partners involved. Mr. Drake offered the option for the City to participate in a joint solicitation for the RFP process as part of a subscriber collaborative, with the Metropolitan Council publishing the RFP for solar garden subscriptions, and Hennepin County's legal team drafting and approving the document, thereby creating a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) for any governmental agency to sign on to and buy off that Metropolitan Council process. Mr. Drake noted that the City of Minneapolis and Ramsey County provided the technical expertise, and CERT's role is to manage the process itself. Mr. Drake further reviewed advantages in such a collaborative procurement process for the RFP, providing better subscription pricing due to larger scale and pools highest quality subscribers; faster entry into the solar garden market; reduced staff time with a standard subscription agreement to developers for easier comparison; and creating opportunities for local governments of all sizes and increased community impacts with atwenty-five year contract. Page 4 of 16