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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8 Grant Application for CED PEV Chargersenda Item # CONSENT To: Board of Directors 0 From: Steven Poncelet Date: June 01, 2016 Subject: Authorizing Submittal of a Grant Application to the CEC for Electric Vehicle DC Fast Chargers 1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD Submitting a grant application to the California Energy Commission (CEC) requires an authorized District signature which accepts the CEC 's grant terms and conditions and which, if the grant is awarded and accepted, would commit District staff and funds to the project. 2. HISTORY The District's Board has had numerous Workshops and Action Items regarding the emerging of electric vehicles in our community and the need to understand the impacts to electric load, the impacts to our electric distribution system, and the opportunity to provide public access charging stations. It is clear that Truckee is a major stop on the emerging electric highway. In 2015, the Board authorized the installation to two public access charging station projects at the Town Train Depot and Pioneer Commerce Center. Each site included two, Level 2 (220 VAC, 2-hour charging time) charging stations which were monetized and owned and operated by the District. These projects went operational late in 2015. The District's Board, at the May 4, 2016 Board meeting, authorized a Letter of Intent for the District to be the lead applicant for a grant for the CEC's GFO-15-603, for "DC Fast Chargers for California's Interregional Corridors". DC Fast Chargers (480 VDC, 3-Phase, 20-30 minute charge time) are significantly more expensive than Level 2 chargers but represent the most significant portion of the emerging electric vehicle charging market. The grant solicitation calls for DC fast charging sites spaced along I-80 between Auburn and the Nevada State line. Each site is also required to have a Level 2 charger (i.e. one set includes a DC fast charger and a Level 2 charger). The CEC grant for I-80 is for up to $875,000 and there is a 25% match requirement. The District would own two sets of charging equipment in Truckee (both in the Holliday Develop ment/Truckee Development Associates' Railyard Project) and one set of equipment in Soda Springs/Norden (Donner Summit Lodge, just off 1.80, owned by Sugarbowl Ski Resort) where the operations would be contracted to a third party. The City of Auburn would own two sets (one set in old town and one set in new town), and the City of Colfax would own one set (shopping center near 1.80). Placer County Air Pollution Control District is also a partner on the grant application and is supporting the overall grant application and helping with the 25% match for Auburn and Colfax. The District's portion of the grant and match requirements is a little less than half of the total amount requested in the grant. Should the District be successful in winning the grant, the District would need to enter into a grant agreement with the CEC and would distribute the funds through a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the District and the City of Auburn, City of Colfax, and Placer County Air Pollution Control District. Both the Grant Agreement and the MOU would be brought before the Board for approval. The District would also eventually enter into Lease Agreements with Holliday Development/Truckee Development Associates and Sugarbowl Ski Resort. CEC award of the grant is expected this year in late Summer, early Fall time -frame. Acceptance of the grant, requiring District Board approval, would occur later in the year with construction starting as soon as mid-2017. The District plans to operate the charging stations for a minimum of 5 years and the CEC grant would cover the equipment and installation along with some of the on -going costs including operations & maintenance and Staff resources from acceptance of grant to close of grant. 3. NEW INFORMATION The District and our public agency partners are nearing completion of the grant application. The project budgets and match requirements are being finalized and the current estimates are for the District's portion of the grant award to be ~$350,000 with the District's 25% match requirement equaling $87,500. Of the District's 25% match requirement, staff's estimates show a large majority coming from in -kind contributions with no more than $20,000 coming from District cash. As the lead applicant, the District will be required to sign the grant application which does contain a clause that, by signing the application, we are accepting the CEC's terms & conditions for the grant. District legal counsel has reviewed the CEC terms & conditions and did not see any changes that were critical for the District. 4. FISCAL IMPACT If successful, the District's portion of the CEC grant is estimated to be $350,000 with the District's 25% match requirement equaling $87,500. Of the District's 25% match requirement, staff's estimates show a large majority coming from in -kind contributions with no more than $20,000 coming from District cash. Future revenues from charging station end -users and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard market are not fully known but are expected to fully cover on -going operating expenses not covered by the CEC. Sufficient funds exist in the approved FY16 and FY17 budget for this project. 5. RECOMMENDATION Authorize the General Manager to sign the CEC grant application for GFO-15-603, "DC Fast Chargers for California's Interregional Corridors". Steven Poncelet Public Information & Conservation Manager Michael D. Holley General Manager