HomeMy WebLinkAbout8, Contract for Tree Removal Services (3)enda Item #
I � u 0®N
To: Board of Directors
From: Kathleen Neus
Date. February 01, 2017
Subject: Final Status Report of the District's S13-1 Solar Program
1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD
The Board adopted the District's solar program in 2007. The State mandated program
ended September 2016 when the last rebate check was paid.
2. HISTORY
In 2007 with the enactment of California Senate Bill 1 (SB-1), then Governor
Schwarzennegger's Million Solar Roofs Initiative expanded upon the California Solar
Initiative (CSI). The Board was required to adopt, implement and finance a solar
initiative program to encourage its customers to install solar energy systems. SB-1
was an unfunded state mandated program that was to begin January1, 2008 and end
either December 31, 2016 or spend the requisite monies whichever came first.
The District was required to spend $1,773,408 dollars. The dollar amount was based
upon the District's percentage of the total statewide load served by all local publicly
owned utilities within California.
Additionally, SB-1 established specific requirements for local solar programs, including
specific incentives, minimum rebate amounts (the State mandated that the rebate per
watt installed must decline no less than 7% per year), solar contractors and solar
equipment.
The Board hired Efficiency Services Group in June of 2007 to help the District to
prepare and implement the District's Solar Program as required by SB-1.
At the November 14, 2007 Board Meeting, the Board adopted the District's written
solar program and approved the rebate for years 2008 through 2010 seen in the chart
below.
The reduction in the rebates reflect a 10% decrease per year.
• 2008 $5.00 per watt installed
• 2009 $4.50 per watt installed
• 2010 $4.05 per watt installed
The Board set the rebates to be for a maximum of 3,000 watts for residential
customers and 5,000 watts for commercial and all others.
At the same meeting the Board adopted the new customer charge to fund the
program, the customer charge approved is listed below.
• Residential
• Small Commercial
• Medium Commercial
® Large Commercial
$0.60 per month
$5.00 per month
$10.00 per month
$15.00 per month
September 16, 2009 Board Meeting, the Board decreased the 2010 rebate dollars by
10% for 2011 and to reduce succeeding year's rate by 10% each year until the
program ends in 2017, according the following schedule.
• 2011 $3.65 per watt installed
• 2012 $3.28 "
• 2013 $2.95 If
• 2014 $2.66 "
• 2015 $2.39 "
• 2016 $2.15 "
• 2017 $1.94 "
The Board reviewed the program at the October 16, 2013 Board meeting which
resulted in a significant amount of dialogue. The Board discussed the following items
with the request of staff to bring the items back to the Board at the next regularly
scheduled meeting.
• Do all funds have to be spent by 2017? What happens if they are not spent?
• How do we know that all systems are working?
• One city had significant issues and failures.
• Are most installs residential?
• Do you as staff set aside time for this project and are you paid through the
program?
• Maybe the Board would want to change the rebate amount.
At this same Board meeting based upon applications and systems installed it was
projected that the District would have $1,091,460 remaining to be spent.
Same time the Federal government increased the Federal Tax Credit from $2,000 to
30% of the project cost.
At the November 6, 2013 the Board revise the rebate per watt amount to decrease by
7% annually for the remaining years of the program beginning in 2014.
• 2014 $2.74 per watt installed
• 2015 $2.55 it
• 2016 $2.37 It
• 2017 $2.21 It
At the January 20, 2016 the Board established the end of year protocols for SB-1
Program.
Additionally, the District has no further requirement or need today for additional
renewable energy. The District's current Renewable Portfolio Standard today sits at
51 %.
For the final year of the program, staff has had discussions with a few solar installers
on how best to come up with a plan that triggers those who don't install in a timely
fashion allowing others to move up the list without waiting until the end of the year.
Some suggestions for the end of year protocols are listed below.
All applicants shall be required to sign, date and submit a form acknowledging the
following protocols:
• June 1, 2016 - Applicants must have a Building Permit for solar issued by the
Town of Truckee.
• August 31, 2016 -Solar must be installed and finaled by the Town of Truckee
Building Department. If not the applicant(s) are removed from the list and the next in
line is moved up.
• October 31, 2016 - Those moved up the list and the solar must be installed and
finaled by the Town of Truckee. If not the applicant(s) are removed from the list
and the next in line is moved up.
• December 31, 2016 - Applicants the solar must be installed and finaled by the
Town of Truckee.
3. fdE10V IfVFORMp►TION
The solar program is now closed; the last rebate check was mailed September 19,
2016, December 31, 2016 has passed and not only has it passed but the District
spent the required monies. The State 's requirements to either spend all required
monies or December 31, 2016 whichever came first. The District spent $1,773,408
plus an addition $1,183 from Public Benefits - Renewable Energy. This allowed the
last rebate to be in the full amount.
Even though the program officially ended December 31, 2016 the District had spread
the funding cost over 10 years so the solar customer charge will be collected through
2017.
The program became very successful in the last year and half with a total of 49
installations versus 95 for the previous 7 years.
There were a total of 209 applications received with 144 installations, 811 kilowatts.
See the chart below for yearly statistics.
Solar Information 2008-2016
Applications
Installations
Kilowatts Installed
Rebate Dollars*
2008
16
11
44
$141,000
2009
15
6
148
$116,000
2010
21
8
34
$97,000
2011
15
15
61
$144,000
2012
9
7
27
$63,000
2013
22
14
72
$126,000
2014
38
34
151
$308,000
2015
48
38
195
$331,000
2016
25
11
79
$91,000
TOTALS
209
144
811
$11417,000*
*Rebate dollars only
4. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this item.
5. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation is to accept this report and consider the District's SB-1 Solar
Program complete.
Michael D. Holley
General Manager