[00:00:06]
UM, WE DO KNOW THAT SHANE WON'T BE JOINING US.
UM, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE HEARD YET FROM KIVA OR JAMES, JUST TO CHECK QUICKLY ARE EITHER OF YOU TWO ON THE LINE.
NO, BUT IS THAT REBECCA? OKAY, EVA.
UM, THIS IS REBECCA I'M HERE TOO.
I JUST, UH, WAS TRYING TO PLACE THE VOICE, UM, BUT WELCOME.
I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO JOIN US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MEETING FOR JANUARY.
[CALL TO ORDER]
THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT, UH, 6:05 PM.UM, NATASHA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR A CITIZEN COMMUNICATION? NO, MA'AM WE DON'T.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, AND TAKE ROLL.
UH, THIS IS DANA HARMON, UH, CHAIR OF RMC, UH, VICE CHAIR, WHITE, IF YOU COULD GIVE A VERBAL THANK YOU.
UH, COMMISSIONER BABIAK COMMISSIONER BLACKBURN.
UH, COMMISSIONER DIELMAN I'M PRESENT PALEO COMMISSIONER FREELAND PRESENT.
UH, COMMISSIONER JOHNSON, LET US KNOW THAT HE WOULD NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE, COMMISSIONER SMITH, SMITTY, AND, UH, COMMISSIONER IN GLORY.
UM, SINCE, UH, WELCOME EVERYONE.
UH, SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR CA UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, WE'LL
[1. Approve minutes of the December 15, 2020 Meeting of Resource Management Commission.]
MOVE STRAIGHT TO ITEM ONE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER 15TH MEETING.UH, THOSE, UH, SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED WITH YOUR MATERIALS FOR THIS COMMISSION MEETING.
UM, DOES ANYONE, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER MEETING? I CAN MAKE A MOTION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? ONE SECOND.
[2. Update on Austin Energy solar program and multifamily solar installations.]
UM, WE HAVE A RELATIVELY LIGHT AGENDA TODAY.UH, WE'LL WELCOME A STAFF REPORT, UH, FROM AUSTIN ENERGY ON THE SOLAR PROGRAM AND MULTIFAMILY SOLAR INSTALLATIONS.
UH, AND I BELIEVE, UM, WE HAVE STAFF, UH, ON THE LINE FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, AND THEN OUR NEXT ITEM WILL BE A DISCUSSION OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. CONTINUING THE DISCUSSION THAT WE JUST STARTED AT OUR, UH, OUR DECEMBER MEETING, LOOKING AT OUR CALENDAR MOVING FORWARD.
UM, SO WITH THAT, WE'LL TURN IT DIRECTLY OVER TO, UH, TO AUSTIN ENERGY.
DO WE HAVE, UM, I BELIEVE TIM HARVEY IS ON THE LINE TO GIVE US THE UPDATE I'M HERE.
I'M THE CUSTOMER RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS MANAGER.
AND I'M HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE SOLAR PROGRAMS, UM, INCLUDING MULTIFAMILY.
SO TODAY I'M GOING TO GO OVER, UM, HOW WE'RE TRACKING TOWARDS THE LOCAL SOLAR GOALS, OUR CUSTOMER PARTICIPATION, UM, THE LOCAL SOLAR MARKET OVERVIEW FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2020, RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL MULTIFAMILY INCENTIVES, COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM, AND OUR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.
SO AS YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE TWO, UM, LOCAL SOLAR GOALS FOR SOLAR, ONE OF THEM, UM, SEGMENTS, THE GOAL AND TO CUSTOMER SIDED AND THE OTHER INCLUDES
[00:05:01]
CUSTOMER SIDED AND, UM, REACHES A BIT BEYOND SOLAR.THAT'S LOCATED AT THE CUSTOMER PREMISE, UM, FOR THE CUSTOMER SIDE.
AND WE ARE, UM, TRACKING TOWARDS THE GOAL OF 200 MEGAWATTS.
CURRENTLY WE ARE AT 96.4 MEGAWATTS, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD POSITION FOR US.
UM, I THINK WE'RE WELL ON TRACK TO MEET THAT GOAL.
UH, THE LOCAL SOLAR GOAL, UM, IS AT 375 MEGAWATTS BY 2030.
AND THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE CUSTOMER SITED.
IN ADDITION TO, UM, SOLAR THAT'S LOCATED WITHIN THE FAG COUNTY AREA.
UM, THE PROGRESS TOWARDS THAT IS 269.3 MEGAWATTS.
UM, AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT, UM, THAT INCLUDES, UH, PFLUGERVILLE, WHICH IS IN PROGRESS AND SORRY ABOUT THE TYPO ON THAT SLIDE.
IT USED TO BE EAST BLACK LANDS, BUT NOW WE'RE CALLING THAT PROJECT PFLUGERVILLE.
UM, THAT'S IN PROGRESS AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S, UM, SET TO COME ONLINE LATER, THIS CALENDAR.
SO WE HAVE, UM, OVER 11,000 SOLAR CUSTOMERS NOW, AND, UH, TWO THIRDS OF THAT IS MAKES, IS MADE UP OF RESIDENTIAL ACCOUNTS.
UM, AND INTERESTINGLY ABOUT A FIFTH OF THE NON REBATED, OR, I MEAN, I'M SORRY, A FIFTH OF THAT TOTAL IS NON REBATED SOLAR.
SO THAT'S, UM, BASICALLY THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, WHERE THEY DID NOT WANT TO, UM, GO THROUGH THE INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE, THERE'S PROBABLY A FEW MEGAWATTS OF THAT WHERE, UM, THEY WERE INSTALLED BY NON-PARTICIPATING SOLAR CONTRACTORS IN OUR AREA.
UM, AND, UH, WE WILL EXCEED 100 MEGAWATTS THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR CUSTOMER SIDED.
SO IN 2020, IT WAS AN INTERESTING YEAR FOR SOLAR.
UM, THE FEDERAL TAX CREDIT FOR PROJECTS THAT WERE COMPLETED IN 2020, WENT FROM 30% TO 26%.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY COVID AFFECTED THE MARKET IN 2020.
UM, I THINK IN TALKING TO OUR CONTRACTORS, A LOT OF THEM, IF NOT, ALL OF THEM HAVE PIVOTED TO, UM, VIRTUAL ONLINE SALES, UH, IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING OUT QUITE WELL FOR THEM, UH, ESPECIALLY IN THE RESIDENTIAL MARKET.
UM, SO WE'RE THIS IN 2020, WE WERE 13% HIGHER THAN ANY PREVIOUS YEAR IN 30% OVER LAST YEAR.
AND, UH, YOU MAY KNOW THAT WE HAD THE BONUS INCENTIVE, UM, AND FYI, UM, 19, AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE, IF PRACTICALLY ALL OF THEM PAID OUT IN CALENDAR YEAR 19, SO CALENDAR YEAR 20 IS NOT BEING AFFECTED BY THAT BONUS PROGRAM HERE.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING THAT, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE RESIDENTIAL, UM, INTEREST IN SOLAR AS I WAS GETTING SOME TRACTION NOW.
UM, AND THE COMMERCIAL WE'VE BEEN NOTICING A TREND DOWNWARD, UM, IN COMMERCIAL.
UM, AND THIS WAS NO EXCEPTION THIS YEAR.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT IN A FUTURE SLIDE.
SO NOW I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE RESIDENTIAL INCENTIVES.
UH, WE STILL HAVE THE CUSTOMER EDUCATION PROGRAM, NEXT SLIDE.
AND, AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE TESTIMONIES FROM THE CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE TIM, DID WE, DID WE LOSE YOUR AUDIO? YEAH, I SOMEHOW GOT MUTED.
UM, I GUESS I'LL START AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS.
[00:10:01]
SO THIS IS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM.I'M NOT SURE WHERE I DROPPED OUT.
I THINK IT WAS, IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF SLIDE 10 IS WHERE I LOST.
SO, UM, HERE'S SOME TESTIMONIALS, UM, FROM OUR CUSTOMERS, WE SURVEYED THEM QUARTERLY.
AND SO THIS IS FROM THE LAST QUARTER.
UM, I THINK OUR, OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ARE OVERALL VERY PLEASED WITH THE PROGRAM AND, UM, AND THE WAY AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN ADMINISTERS, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THE SOLAR PROGRAM THROUGHOUT, UM, ALSO INCLUDING PERMITTING AND INSPECTIONS.
SO I'LL JUST, UH, START WITH THE, WITH THE ORANGE LINE ON THIS GRAPH, THAT IS THE AVERAGE INSTALLED CAPACITY FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT KIND OF HOVERING AROUND SIX AND A HALF KW AND THAT'S AC, UM, AND THEN THE GREEN LINE SHOWS THE AVERAGE INCENTIVE.
SO, UM, WHERE RIGHT AT AROUND 2,500, WHICH IS OUR INCENTIVE THIS YEAR, AND THEN, UM, THE RED LINE SHOWS THE INSTALLED COST PER WHAT DC.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT HAS HOVERED AT AROUND THREE 50 FOR A LONG WHILE.
UM, THEN WE INTRODUCED THE EDUCATION PROGRAM AND THAT WENT DOWN WITH THE BONUS.
IT SEEMED TO INCREASE A LITTLE, UM, AND THEN ONCE THE BONUS IN A WAY IT'S STARTING TO, UH, TRACK DOWN A LITTLE BIT, SO THAT WE'RE STAYING PRETTY CONSISTENT RIGHT AROUND THAT IN BETWEEN THREE 25 AND THREE 50.
UM, AND, AND WE SEE THOSE PRICES, UH, VARY QUITE A BIT BETWEEN, UM, INSTALLERS, DIFFERENT INSTALLERS, UM, WE'LL INSTALL HIGHER QUALITY PANELS.
FOR EXAMPLE, SOME OF THEM HAVE, UM, HIGHER LEVELS OF SERVICE.
UM, SOME OF THEM, YOU KNOW, INSTALL THE CHEAPER PANELS AND CHARGE LESS.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES.
UM, SO FAR TO DATE WERE AROUND 29 MEGAWATTS OF COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE SEGMENTATION THERE ON THE LEFT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE SYSTEMS ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY FOUR MEGAWATTS, UM, IN THE QUEUE, UM, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
UM, WE KIND OF GOT AN UNEXPECTED RUSH AT THE END.
UM, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE GRAPH ON THE RIGHT THAT TRACKS, UM, THE EXPOSURE THAT WE HAVE TAKEN ON OVER THE COURSE OF THE FISCAL YEARS, UM, AND SO BECAUSE IT'S A 10 YEAR PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVE, THOSE INCENTIVE PAYMENTS GO OUT FOR 10 YEARS.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT BUDGET COMMITMENT LOOKS LIKE, UH, IN THE FUTURE YEARS.
SO, AS I NOTED BEFORE, UM, WE ARE SEEING, UH, UH, A BIT OF A WANE IN THE COMMERCIAL MARKET.
UM, IT'S NOT EXTREME, BUT IT'S, IT WAS, UH, SOMEWHAT ANTICIPATED AS WE RAMPED DOWN, UM, THROUGH THE COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVE.
UM, WE DO FEEL LIKE THAT THE MARKET STILL NEEDS SOME STIMULATION AND, UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO ENHANCE AND MODIFY OUR CURRENT, UM, PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
SO, UM, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE HELD, UM, MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
UM, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A SURVEY OF OUR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, UM, AND WE WILL BE DOING SOME MORE, UM, OUTREACH FOR EXISTING PBI CUSTOMERS TO JUST TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT, UM, INFLUENCED THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR PROJECTS AND OR WHAT SOME OF THE BARRIERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
UM, SO FAR WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO SIMPLIFY THE PROGRAM BECAUSE THE CURRENT, UM, CONSTRUCT IS A BIT COMPLICATED AND,
[00:15:01]
UM, IT, IT'S NOT EASY FOR THE CUSTOMERS OR INSTALLERS TO UNDERSTAND AND COMMUNICATE.SO WE'RE HOPING TO SIMPLIFY THAT SOME, UM, AND, UM, WE ARE DEVELOPING CASE STUDIES TO PUT ON THE WEBSITE AND ALSO PLANNING TO IMPROVE OUR WEB PAGES.
UM, WHEN WE ROLL OUT THE PROGRAM, IT WILL BE RESTRUCTURED AND, UM, THE WAY THAT WE PLAN TO DO THAT SHOULD IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
SO, UM, THE SHARED SOLAR PILOT IS STILL A PILOT, UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE NOT TESTED THAT OUT COMPLETELY IN THE BILLING SYSTEM YET, UM, SUCCESSFULLY, I SHOULD SAY.
UM, IT IS CURRENTLY, UM, IN TESTING AS OF TODAY.
AND, UM, WE'LL BE IN TESTING FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS WHEN WE HOPE TO, UM, CONCLUDE THAT AND PROVE IT OUT.
THEN, UH, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND BUILD THAT AUTOMATED THROUGH THE SYSTEM FOR SIX MONTHS BEFORE LAUNCHING THE, UM, SHARED SOLAR PROGRAM, WHICH AT FIRST WILL BE FOR LMI PROPERTIES ONLY.
UM, WE HAVE ADDED A FIFTH MULTIFAMILY PROJECT, UM, AND APRIL, AND, UM, THERE IS ONE FINAL ONE TO BE ADDED, UM, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
AND SO THAT WILL CONCLUDE THE PILOT.
WE HAVE BEEN BILLING THESE BY HAND, UM, SINCE 2018.
SO, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED TO GET THAT INTO THE BILLING SYSTEM AND GET IT AUTOMATED.
DID HE HALL, ARE YOU ABLE TO PUT THE PRESENTATION BACK UP? YEAH.
WE'RE TRYING TO ADD IN A FEW PRESENT, UH, PARTICIPANTS TO THE MEETING RIGHT NOW.
WE'LL HAVE THE SLIDES RIGHT BACK UP.
IT'S UP TO YOU, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO KEEP GOING, I KNOW THAT YOUR SLIDES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE RMC WEBSITE.
THE COMMISSIONERS WANT TO, UH, OH, THERE WE GO.
SO, UM, FOR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, UM, WE HAVE MONTHLY MEETINGS FOR THE CONTRACTORS WHERE WE TRAIN THEM.
UM, AND SO, UM, ONCE A QUARTER, IT WILL BE THE GENERAL CONTRACTORS MEETING WHERE WE EXPECT THEM ALL TO ATTEND, UM, INCLUDING THEIR MANAGEMENT, AND WE WILL CONVEY ANY, UM, FORESEEABLE CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM OR, UM, ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE WAY, UM, THAT YOU PROCEED THROUGH THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING SOLAR, UM, AND TOUCH BASE WITH THEM, LET THEM KNOW, UM, WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK WE GOT IN OUR QUARTERLY, UM, SURVEYS AND WHATNOT.
THEN, UM, ALSO QUARTERLY, WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE TRAINING MEETING WHERE WE, UM, TRAIN OUR PARTICIPATING CONTRACTORS, HOW TO INTERFACE WITH OUR WEB-BASED APPLICATION PROCESSING TOOL AND, UH, COMMUNICATE, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF EXPECTATIONS WE HAVE IN REGARDS TO DOCUMENTATION AND SUBMITTAL OF INCENTIVE APPLICATIONS.
AND FINALLY, ONCE A QUARTER, WE HAVE, UM, THE TECHNICAL MEETING WHERE WE HAVE OUR INSPECTORS.
UM, SO, UH, AND TRAIN THE, UM, TECHNICAL FOLKS FROM THE INSTALLATION CONTRACTORS, UM, ABOUT ANY CODE CHANGES, UM, WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN THE INSPECTIONS, PERMITTING ISSUES AND CHANGES AND PROCEDURES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE FIND THAT IT'S VERY BENEFICIAL, UM, AND THAT IT LEADS TO QUALITY INSTALLATION AND HIGHER PASS RATES, UM, FOR THE FINAL INSPECTIONS.
UH, WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING VIRTUAL OUTREACH, UM, FOR THE PROGRAM.
[00:20:01]
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE MARY PALMER, UM, PRESENTED TO THE, THAT LATINITAS, UM, WHICH IS AN ARTIST ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON EMPOWERING GIRLS TO, UH, INNOVATE THROUGH MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY.AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN DOING MORE OF THESE KINDS OF VIRTUAL OUTREACHES LATELY.
AND, AND WE, WE THINK THAT IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO MEETING IN PERSON THOUGH.
WE'RE READY TO OBVIOUSLY GET BACK OUT THERE AND THE COMMUNITY WANTS IT'S APPROPRIATE TO DO SO.
UM, WE ARE ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT SOME OF THE SOLAR FOR SCHOOLS, UH, INSTALLATIONS THAT WE HAD PUT IN IN THE PAST, AND THEY ARE, UM, STARTING TO SHOW SIGNS OF WEAR.
AND, UM, AND IN SOME CASES LIKE SUN DAMAGE TO THE SIGNS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR, UM, SOME OF THOSE SYSTEMS ARE NOT OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY OR POTENTIALLY NOT AT ALL.
SO WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE SYSTEMS AND WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO GET OUT THERE AND REFURBISH THOSE AND GET THEM BACK IN PLACE AND PUT UP, UM, SOME REFURBISHED OR OUR NEW SIGNAGE.
AND, UM, WE'RE GOING TO REVISIT THE CURRICULUM AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S IN PLACE TO GET, UH, THE STUDENTS OF AUSTIN, UM, A GOOD EDUCATION AND SOLAR, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO NOW ON TO THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM, NEXT SLIDE, THERE'S SOME PICTURES OF OUR MOST RECENT ONES.
UM, SO COMMUNITY SOLAR CURRENTLY IS, UH, LA LOMA AND PALMER, AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO, UH, BE ADDING THE ABI SOLAR TO THE MIX.
UH, SO THAT WILL INCREASE THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PORTFOLIO BY 1.5 MEGAWATTS.
UM, SO, UH, CURRENTLY WE'RE AT 2.7 MEGAWATTS AND WE HAVE, UM, A LITTLE OVER 300 CUSTOMERS, HALF OF WHICH ROUGHLY ARE LOW INCOME.
AND, UM, SO THE, THE COMMUNITY SOLAR CUSTOMER ON THE MARKET RATE SIDE WILL PAY A PREMIUM OF ROUGHLY 1.1, 3 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
AND THE LOW-INCOME CUSTOMER, UH, GETS A, UH, BASICALLY AN INCENTIVE THROUGH THE CAP PROGRAM OR A SUB, UH, SUBSIDY.
AND SO THEY WILL SEE A 0.3, 7 CENT PER KILOWATT HOUR SAVINGS ON THEIR BILL.
UM, THIS IS THE FIRST SCREEN, A COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM.
UM, WE OFFSET 100% OF THE CUSTOMER'S USAGE WITH RENEWABLES AND, UM, YEAH, THAT'S IT FOR THIS SIDE.
AND, UM, SO WE ALSO PUT OUT A LOCAL SOLAR RFP THIS SUMMER, AND WE HAVE GOTTEN THE PROPOSALS BACK FROM THAT, WHICH I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO DISCUSS RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN STATE THAT.
UM, THE RFP INCLUDED, UM, A, A REQUIREMENT FOR RESPONDENTS TO PROVIDE, UM, DIVERSITY INCLUSION AND LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLANS.
UM, AND IT WAS, IT WAS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION GRID, CONNECTED SOLAR, AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT STORAGE OPTIONS WITH THAT OR WITH THOSE PROPOSALS.
AND IN CLOSING, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, UM, THIS YEAR AUSTIN ENERGY WAS, UM, UM, DETERMINED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE MUNICIPALLY OWNED CITY, UH, IN THE COUNTRY FOR PER CAPITA, SOLAR INSTALLED THROUGH THE SHINING CITIES, UM, ENVIRONMENT IN TEXAS STUDY.
AND SO THAT LOOKS AT, UM, THE TOTAL SOLAR, UM, FOR THE UTILITY BY CUSTOMER.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, TIM, EXCUSE ME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, FOR PUTTING THIS MATERIAL TOGETHER AND SHARING,
[00:25:01]
UH, THE, THE RICH INFORMATION WITH THE COMMISSION.UM, AT THIS POINT WE'LL, UH, OPEN IT UP TO, UH, COMMISSIONERS FOR, FOR, UH, QUESTIONS FOR TIM AND I C WE HAVE, UH, DEBBIE KIMBERLEY ON, ON THE LINE LOOKS LIKE PROMOTED TO PANELISTS AS WELL.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, TIM, A LOT OF GOOD WORK HAPPENING THERE AND, UH, GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU ALL GOT RECOGNIZED IN THAT REPORT.
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THAT REPORT TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE SOLAR THAT WAS OUTSIDE OF CITY LIMITS.
SO I'M GLAD THAT THIS VERSION DID, UM, CAUSE I KNOW THAT A LOT OF, A LOT OF GOOD WORK IS GOING ON IN AUSTIN ON THERE, ON THAT FRONT.
UM, JUST GOING BACK A BIT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, TO THE, UH, SHARED SOLAR, UM, WHEN YOU OPEN UP TO LMI PROPERTIES, I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE DEFINITION OF LMI PROPERTIES IS, OR HAS THAT BEEN DETERMINED? I DON'T THINK THAT'S BEEN DETERMINED YET.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU MIGHT BE WILLING TO WORK WITH THIS COMMISSION ON COMING UP WITH AN APPROPRIATE DEFINITION FOR, YEAH, I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'RE GOING TO COME ABOUT THAT DEFINITION, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE STAKEHOLDER INPUT ON THAT.
LET ME WEIGH IN THERE A LITTLE BIT, UH, VICE CHAIR WIDE.
UM, SO IT'S NOT DISSIMILAR FROM SOME OF THE GUIDELINES THAT WE USE IN OUR, UM, MULTIFAMILY WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM.
AND SO WE LOOK AT PROPERTIES, SO THIS WAS DEVELOPING FOR HIM BEFORE TIM STEPPED INTO THE POSITION, BUT WE LOOK AT PROPERTIES THAT ARE LISTED IN THE AUDIT HOSTILE TENANTS COUNCIL, WHERE 30% OF THE, UM, UH, RESIDENTS ARE ON, UH, SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS, UM, TO ASSIST THEM WITH RENT OR HAVE RECEIVED HOUSING VOUCHERS.
AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, UH, GUADALUPE SARANYA NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE HAVE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION IN WRITING AND, AND FOLLOW UP TO THAT.
BUT THE INTENT REALLY DOES GO BEYOND WHAT I WOULD CLASSICALLY STATE IS LOW INCOME TO INCLUDE LIMITED INCOME CUSTOMER.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE THIS AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE WITH OUR OTHER PROGRAMS. SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A LOT OF THESE PROPERTIES THAT YOU'VE SEEN AND, YOU KNOW, VERY WELL BECAUSE OF YOUR ADVOCACY AND GREAT SUPPORT OR HAKO PROPERTIES.
SO, UM, SO WE BASICALLY APPLY THOSE, THOSE SAME CRITERIA.
UM, SO IT SOUNDS THOUGH THAT IT WILL BE BROADER BECAUSE REMEMBER FOR THIS, UM, PILOT, IT WAS, UM, LIMITED TO INCOME RESTRICTED PROPERTIES LIKE HAKA WHITE FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN YOU OPEN IT UP TO LMI PROPERTIES, IT WILL BE BROADER THAN THAT IN THE, IT WILL BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT SOME WOULD HAVE HEARD TOO IS LIKE NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE INCOME RESTRICTED IF AT LEAST 30% OF THE RESIDENTS ARE RECEIVING SOME SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, IS THAT THAT'S THE ULTIMATE ATTEMPT OF VICE CHAIR.
I MEAN, BUT, BUT OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IS TO MAKE THIS MANAGEABLE.
AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE IN PLACE A MEANS BY WHICH TO BUILD THIS AUTOMATICALLY, AS OPPOSED TO, AS TIM NOTED, WE'VE GOT ALMOST 400 CUSTOMERS, WE'RE REGENERATING A MANUALLY CALCULATED BILL EVERY MONTH.
AND FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, IT GIVES ME PAUSE BECAUSE WHENEVER YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING MANUALLY OR AT LEAST WHENEVER I'M DOING ANYTHING MANUALLY, IT INCREASES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ERROR.
AND WE DON'T WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO EXPERIENCE THAT.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HEAR TO THE PILOT EARLY ON AND THEN GROW IT AS INTENTIONALLY AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE BY BEING ABLE TO AFFORD THIS.
AND IT IS ALSO NATURALLY RESTRICTED BY HAVING THE AVAILABILITY, THE ABILITY OF THE CUSTOMER TO DO IN THE CASE OF THE SHARED SOLAR, OBVIOUSLY TO BE ABLE TO SERVE, UM, AS A HOST FOR THAT.
SO THERE'S MORE DETAIL THAN I WON'T GET INTO, UM, OUT OF RESPECT FOR YOUR TIME, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE THIS AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE.
[00:30:01]
UM, YEAH, I GUESS MAYBE, UH, COULD WE GET YOU, YOU OFFERED, I THINK TO PROVIDE US WITH SOME UP, I THINK, UM, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME, UM, JUST TO LIKE SEE IF IT'S THE SAME AS THE, UM, THE MULTIFAMILY WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, UM, WHICH I'M SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH OF COURSE, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER LIKE THE EXACT, UM, KIND OF MEASURES THAT, UM, MEAN THAT YOU'RE IN OR YOU'RE OUT.SO IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T MIND FOLLOWING UP WITH THAT, I'D APPRECIATE IT.
I MEAN, I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND THEN WHAT WE'D LIKE TO ASPIRE TO ULTIMATELY, BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IT'S BEEN, UH, IT'S TRANSITIONAL RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT IN WRITING.
I'M, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT, UH, IN THE MEDIA.
I MEAN, LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE, THE, UM, THAT THE TESTING PILOT PHASE IS COMPLETED, UM, YOU KNOW, IN JULY OR WHATEVER.
I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION, BUT NOW I FORGOT IT.
SO I'M SURE THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS THEY'LL COME BACK TO ME.
UM, CAN YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S, UM, SOLAR INSTALLED IN SCHOOLS AND I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THERE'S A LIST THAT TELLS US WHICH SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE SOLAR INSTALLATION.
WE DO HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE SCHOOLS.
UM, I BELIEVE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I THINK THERE'S APPROXIMATELY 50 AND THAT WAS, SO IS THAT AVAILABLE ONLINE OR, SORRY.
UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN, I'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE CAN DISSEMINATE THAT LIST, BUT, UM, I CAN MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO YOU IF WE CAN.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YEAH.
SO I'M MOSTLY IS AN IMPRESSIVE REPORT AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE MADE.
UM, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MULTIFAMILY PROGRAM, UM, YOUR OUTREACH TO THEM.
I'M INTERESTED BOTH IN TERMS OF, OR HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO THE AUSTIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION IS ONE QUESTION ANOTHER IS WHAT IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PORTEND FOR? UH, AND I GUESS THIS IS A WHOLE SEPARATE QUESTION, WHICH IS ABOUT GOING BACK TO THE MULTIFAMILY.
UM, WHAT KINDS OF PROBLEMS ARE YOU HAVING WITH UPTAKE FROM, UH, THAT COMMUNITY? YEAH, MULTIFAMILY, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, WE, WE DO, THEY'RE MORE CUMBERSOME TO, UM, INSTALL AND, AND EVEN MOVE THROUGH THE INCENTIVE PROCESS, UM, BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT RESIDENTIAL TENANTS ALONG WITH A, UH, BUILDING, UM, TENANT, AND SOMETIMES THERE'S A LEARNING CURVE THERE.
AND, UM, THERE'S ALSO A PERMITTING, UM, KIND OF THEIR QUESTIONS TO THE PERMITTING CAUSE THEY DON'T GET DONE VERY OFTEN.
UM, SO A LOT OF IT IS NAVIGATING THROUGH THAT AND, UM, WORKING WITH THE INSTALLERS TO GET THROUGH, UM, ALL OF THE HOOPS AND PROCESSES AND SO SHARED SOLAR IS GOING TO GREATLY, UM, UM, SIMPLIFY THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND CURRENTLY WE DO SEE SOME UPTAKE IN MULTIFAMILY.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF, UM, OUTREACH TO THAT COMMUNITY AS OF LATE, UM, BECAUSE OUR OUTREACH IS A BIT ENTERED ANYWAY.
AND PLUS WE'RE ON THE BRINK OF, UM, THIS RESTRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM.
UM, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, GO AHEAD.
SO WHO WITHIN YOUR OPERATION WOULD BE THE RIGHT PERSON TO CONTACT? I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL REASONS.
I HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, APARTMENT COMPLEX GOING IN ADJACENT TO OURS AND AN EQUALLY GOOD YOUNG APARTMENT DEVELOPER.
WHO'S INTERESTED IN THESE KINDS OF THINGS.
IS THAT YOU TIM OR WHO YEAH, YOU COULD DO.
WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND DIRECT THEM STRAIGHT TO ME AND THEN I'LL, I'LL TALK TO THEM AND AS NEEDED UP, PASS THEM OFF.
AND THEN DO YOU HAVE, UM, HAVE YOU REACHED OUT
[00:35:01]
TO THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION? UM, WE HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT, UM, SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION.SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S PROBABLY KIND OF NEAR FUTURE.
I MEAN, AND IF I COULD JUST WEIGH IN THERE AS WELL, COMMISSIONER SMITH SMITTY, UM, PART OF IT IS THIS WAS A PILOT AND IN THE PILOT STAGE, IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE, AS I INDICATED WITH COMMISSIONER WRIGHT, VICE CHAIR, WHY IT WAS INTENDED TO BE CONTAINED AND WORKING WITH CUSTOMERS WHERE WE KNEW IT WOULD BE EASY TO SORT THROUGH ANY ISSUES THAT MIGHT COME UP, AS I SAY, IT'S EVOLUTIONARY.
AND SO WE'RE NOT ROLLING IT OUT TO THE MASSES RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE NEED TO MANAGE THROUGH THIS BILLING ISSUE AND GET THAT STOOD UP TO ENSURE ACCURACY AND BILLS ONCE THAT BECOMES AUTOMATED AND GIVE IT SOME TIME.
UM, BY THE WAY I LIKED YOUR BACKGROUND, THEY, UH, UM, IF YOU'LL SEND ME THE LINK FOR THAT, I MAY WANT TO RIP IT OFF FROM MY OWN PERIODICALLY.
SO, UM, MY, ALL OF MY BACKGROUNDS THESE DAYS ARE SUNSETS.
THERE'S A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING IN THAT.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN RETIRING? YOU'RE TOO YOUNG.
I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN THERE WITH YOU SO THAT EVEN WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT, UM, CONGRATULATIONS, DEBBIE.
UM, THE, UH, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE ARE HOPEFUL FOR IS DANGLING BAIT IN FRONT OF THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MAY GIVE US ADDITIONAL LOBBYING, UH, POWER, BOTH THAT, UH, COUNCIL, WHICH PROBABLY DOESN'T NEED A WHOLE LOT OF IT.
BUT, UM, AS WE BEGIN IN THE NEXT SESSION THAT THIS LEGISLATURE HAVING OTHERS THAN THEY, THE ADVOCATES THAT TYPICALLY SHOW UP IN OUR PRO SOLAR AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND I KNOW YOU ALL CAN ENGAGE IN LOBBYING WITH FRIENDS OR PROCEDURAL STUFF THAT YOU GUYS KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE AND UNDERSTAND, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A REAL GOOD SENSE OF HOW TO NOT STRAY OVER THOSE LINES AND BUILD SUPPORT FOR SUCH THINGS.
AND SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT SOUND MY, UM, THOUGHT WAS TO WAYS THAT WE COULD, UM, BEGIN TO DEAL WITH THE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS.
UH, THE MOTHERS MAY HAVE ABOUT, WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON SOLAR AND, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
AND I, I, UH, ALSO AS WELL AGREE THAT WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, THAT, THAT POOR KEN'S MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS, RIGHT, RIGHT.
NOT JUST FOR THE DISTRIBUTED PROGRAMS, BUT AS WELL AS FOR THE UTILITY SCALE AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
UM, I WOULD ALSO SAY WE'RE SEEING JUST CONTINUED GROWTH IN AUSTIN.
AND SO WHILE WE HAVE LOW, UH, BY AND LARGE VACANCY RATES AND A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS OVER 60% RENT, UM, AT SOME POINT WHEN YOU SEE AN AMENITY LIKE THIS, I THINK IT CAN POSITION AN APARTMENT OWNER.
WELL, IN TERMS OF OFFERING THE BOTH IN TERMS OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION, AS WELL AS THE THINGS WE'RE DOING WITH WEATHERIZATION, UM, YOU'LL RECALL THE PRESENTATION THAT MANNY AND TERRY, UH, GAVE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
SO I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT A POTENTIAL SWEET SPOT HERE.
SO I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THIS.
WHAT ARE YOU ALL PICKING UP, UH, FOR THE, UM, UM, IT'S COMING FROM THE BY DEMONSTRATION? WHERE DO YOU, WHAT IS YOUR, WHAT ARE YOUR TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, ET CETERA, SHARE WITH YOU THAT MIGHT BE SHAREABLE? WHAT, WELL, I'M PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE MY COLORING OUTSIDE MY LINES, BUT CERTAINLY WE SEE IT IN ADMINISTRATION THAT IS MUCH MORE SUPPORTIVE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, REJOINING THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, UM, AND NAMING OFFICIALS INTO POSITIONS THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE OF MANY OF THE THINGS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS SUPPORTIVE OF.
UM, THAT SAID, WE'RE ALSO VERY COGNIZANT OF THE STATE IN WHICH WE LIVE AND THE NEED TO BE TEMPERED AND, AND WHAT WE COMMUNICATE AND, AND HOW WE COMMUNICATE.
I WILL SAY ONE OF THE, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE SEEING INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THAT WILL BE COMING OUR WAY AND NOT JUST TO AUSTIN ENERGY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO THE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS IN WHICH WE
[00:40:01]
PARTICIPATE.UM, SO, UM, SOME OF THAT RELATES TO THE VERY THINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH, UM, INCLUDE GREEN JOBS AND CREATING PROGRAMS FOR WORKERS IN THAT SPACE.
SO THROUGH ASSOCIATIONS, SUCH AS EVERY SPEAR, UM, A NUMBER OF OTHER, UH, UH, TRADE ASSOCIATIONS IN WHICH WE PARTICIPATE, UM, I THINK WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY PARTNER WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
I SERVE ON THE BOARD OF THE COMMON STREET.
SO THERE IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
IN FACT, THEY, THE DAY DOESN'T START UNTIL TOMORROW.
UM, AND MY CRYSTAL BALL IS NOT VERY CLEAR.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT IT WILL BE A BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR US ON A GOING FORWARD BASIS, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.
AND MADAM CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO ADD A REPORT ON WHAT THE BUYING PLANS ARE AND HOW WE, UM, MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THEM FOR PERHAPS OUR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING FOR OUR AGENDA.
AND I THINK ONE OF, IN ADDITION TO THE SOLAR, WHICH IS THE TOPIC OF THE MOMENT, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT, UH, GOALS WITHIN THE INVITE US BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ABOUT BY THE RISING TO A MILLION HOMES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND, UM, ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY, UH, AND PARTICULARLY SOME OF THE DISTRIBUTED, RENEWABLE ENERGIES AND ENERGY STORAGE, ALL OF ARE WITHIN OUR BALLYWICK.
AND PERHAPS WE MIGHT GET BOTH AN INTERNAL REPORT FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, BUT AS SOMEBODY FROM, UH, CONGRESSMAN DOGGETT'S OFFICE SINCE LLOYD IS, UH, VERY MUCH ON THE INSIDE OF THE, UM, LEADERSHIP, UH, TO VISIT WITH US.
UH, SUGGESTION, COMMISSIONER SMITH MADE A NOTE OF IT HERE AND MAY ASK FOR YOUR HELP IN MAKING SURE THAT WE STRUCTURE THAT CONVERSATION APPROPRIATELY.
UM, TAM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION, DEBBIE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, ON SLIDE FOUR, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO TO IT OR NOT, BUT, UH, HAS TO DO WITH CUSTOMER, UH, PARTICIPATION.
UH, WHAT I NOTICED WAS THAT SCHOOL, THE, THE PARTICIPATION FROM THE SCHOOL IS PRETTY LOW.
AND SO I WAS WONDERING IF IT HAS TO DO WITH MARKETING OR IT IS THAT, UM, HAS TO DO WITH FUNDING OR ARE THEY LOOKING FOR GRANTS OR CAN AUSTIN ENERGY HELP THEM WITH GRANTS OF SOME SORT TO, TO BRING UP THE, THEIR PARTICIPATION? YEAH, SO, UM, UH, PART OF THE REASON WHY THAT APPEARS SO LOW IS THE WAY THAT OUR DATA IS SEGMENTED.
UM, SO THE, SO WHAT'S SHOWING UP IN THE GRAPH THERE, WHICH YOU CAN JUST BARELY EVEN SEE THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS THAT ARE INSTALLED, UM, THROUGH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GRANTS, UM, AND OUR PARTNERSHIP AND THOSE GRANTS.
AND SO WHILE THERE ARE MANY SYSTEMS, THEY'RE ALL VERY SMALL, UM, DEMONSTRATION SIZE, THERE ARE SEVERAL SYSTEMS THAT ARE COMMERCIAL SIZE ON THE, ON THE SCHOOLS THAT THEY ARE SHOWING UP AS DATA WITHIN THE COMMERCIAL LIST.
WELL, I THINK THEY'RE PART OF THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION TOO, IS THAT SCHOOLS TYPICALLY SCHOOLS CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SAME TAX BENEFITS.
THE OTHER CUSTOMERS CAN GENERALLY THE SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE SEEN PARTICIPATING IN THESE PROGRAMS IN THE PAST HAVE DONE SO BECAUSE OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY METRICS.
SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE VERY ACTIVE AND ARE, UM, UH, GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM IN TERMS OF JUST THE DESIGN OF THE SCHOOL.
UM, AND THEN THEY'VE, UM, SET ASIDE MONIES TO BE ABLE TO PURSUE THESE SYSTEMS, BUT, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TAX INCENTIVES THAT OTHER COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS WOULD OTHERWISE, UH, REALIZE.
UM, TIM ON SLIDE EIGHT, UM, WELL YOU HAVE A RESIDENTIAL SOLO REBATE PROGRAM.
UM, I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT THE GREEN LINE, UH, HAS TO DO WITH AVERAGE REBATE OR CUSTOMER.
[00:45:02]
THERE YOU GO.SO, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, LET'S SEE THE REBATE AMOUNT, UH, FROM 13,000 HAS GONE DOWN TO 24, 2,400.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH, UM, WITH THE COST OF SOLAR THAT'S GONE DOWN OR DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT AUSTIN ENERGY HAS AVAILABLE FOR REBATE? YEAH, IT'S WE TRY TO TAILOR THE INCENTIVES, UM, TO GET CUSTOMERS OVER THE MARKET BARRIERS, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, DRIVE THEM TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, IN THE EARLY YEARS YOU CAN SEE THE INCENTIVES ARE VERY HIGH AS WHERE THEY COST TO INSTALL SOLAR.
AND SO WE'VE TRACKED DOWN WITH THE COSTS, UM, FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SOLAR KIND OF, UH, GOT OUT OF THE ADOPTION OR THE EARLY ADOPTION PHASE OF, YOU KNOW, THE LIFE CYCLE OF, OF AN, A PRODUCT.
AND SO NOW WE'RE A BIT MORE MAINSTREAM.
UM, IT DOESN'T REQUIRE AS MUCH INCENTIVE TO GET CUSTOMERS OVER THAT BARRIER.
UM, SO WE'VE RATCHETED IT DOWN, UM, FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND, AND THERE, UM, AT THE END OF, LET'S SEE FROM ABOUT 2014 TO 2017, WE WERE ON A RAMP DOWN SCHEDULE.
SO AS WE MET DIFFERENT CAPACITY LEVELS, WE WOULD AUTOMATICALLY RAMP DOWN THE INCENTIVE.
AND THEN AT THE END OF 2017, YOU KNOW, WE WERE OFFICIALLY AT THE END OF THAT PROGRAM, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO GET US TO THE, UM, SOLAR GOALS AT THE TIME.
UM, AND SO WE HAD A QUESTION OF WHETHER WE, UH, DRAWBACK THE RESIDENTIAL SOLAR INCENTIVES ALTOGETHER, UM, AS THE PLAN DICTATED OR, UM, CONTINUE TO, UM, HAVE A INCENTIVE OFFERING.
AND WE DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT, UM, INCENTIVE.
UM, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THERE'S A SMALL MARKET BARRIER STILL EXISTED, BUT ALSO BECAUSE, AND MAINLY BECAUSE, UM, WE CAN SEE, WE SEE IT AS A CONSUMER PROTECTION, UM, STEP.
AND SO BY, UM, USING THE INCENTIVE AS A CARROT, UM, TO ENTICE CUSTOMERS, TO TAKE THE SOLAR EDUCATION PROGRAM, UM, WE'VE MOVED THAT DIRECTION SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE WELL-INFORMED, UM, BUYERS OUT THERE IN THE MARKET THAT DOES HAVE SOME KIND OF PREDATORY, UM, PLAYERS THAT ARE WILLING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR CUSTOMERS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, I THINK WE'VE DONE, WE'VE BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL, LIKE KEEPING THOSE PLAYERS AT BAY AND, AND, UM, PROVIDING A SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND CREATING HAPPY CUSTOMERS.
UM, ON, UH, THE COMMERCIAL SOLAR, YOU MENTIONED, UM, THAT, UH, YOU'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON, UH, MULTIPLE SURVEYS AND DEVELOPING SOME CASE STUDIES.
UH, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE CAN TALK ABOUT TIMELINE, UM, WHETHER THERE'S A DAY THAT YOU'RE ALL I'M LOOKING AT, WE HAVEN'T PINPOINTED, UM, A DAY YET, BUT WE HAVE CONCLUDED, UM, MOST OF THE STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE GOING.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO GET THESE, THIS LAST SURVEY BACK AND DO SOME, UM, INTERVIEWS WITH CUSTOMERS.
ALSO, SOLAR, AUSTIN HAS PUT OUT A SURVEY WHICH, UM, WE WILL BE INCORPORATING INTO OUR DECISION-MAKING.
AND, UH, THEN I THINK IN APRIL, UM, WE'LL BE, UM, PRESENTING A STRAW MAN, UH, AT THE SOLAR AUSTIN MEETING AND TO GET A FINAL ROUND OF INPUT BEFORE WE SOLIDIFY EVERYTHING AND ROLL THE PROGRAM OUT SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
I WAS ABOUT TO CALL FOR ANY MORE QUESTIONS.
I KNOW I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE AND I'VE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.
UM, BUT DOWN ON SLIDE 15, UM, REGARDING THE SOLAR RFPS,
[00:50:02]
UM, I'M JUST WONDERING IF AUSTIN ENERGY HAS A PLAN TO GO BEYOND CO2 REDUCTION AND WORK TO REDUCE ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES OR IMPACTS, UM, BY, UH, ADDING INTO THEIR DECISION MATRIX, THE ACTUAL SOLAR PANELS THEMSELVES, AND THE IMPACT THOSE HAVE, UM, THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND THE MATERIALS USE THE END OF LIFE, THEN THE USE, AND THEN THE, THE RIGHTS OF THE WORKERS WHO MAKE THE, UM, SOLAR PANEL.UM, CAUSE I, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO JUST CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PANEL.
AND THEN IN RETURN YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL, UM, ADVANTAGES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS THAT ARE BEING ADDRESSED AS WELL.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY PLANS OR THOUGHTS ON THAT? UH, COMMISSIONER BRENNAMAN THIS IS DEBBIE KIMBERLY, AND I BELIEVE THAT ITEM IS ON THE LIST OF, UH, TOPICS THE, THE COMMISSION IDENTIFIED FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
IT WILL TELL YOU THAT IN THE CASE OF, UM, OUR UTILITY SCALE, SOLAR INSTALLATIONS, RECYCLING OF PANELS IS INCLUDED AS PART OF OUR RFPS.
UM, AND WE JUST NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AND LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES.
UM, AND, UM, I THINK THE, CERTAINLY SOMEBODY, UM, FROM, FROM AUSTIN ENERGY AND BE RESPONSIVE TO THAT ONCE THE COMMISSION IS FLESHED OUT THEIR PRIORITIES, UM, AND THE TIMING FOR SUCH, BUT REST ASSURE THAT AT LEAST FOR OUR UTILITY SCALE INSTALLATIONS, WHICH COMPRISE THE GREATEST PORTION OF OUR SOLAR INVESTMENT, THE RECYCLING OF PANELS IS INCLUDED CURRENTLY IN OUR RFPS.
UM, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S, I THINK IT'S AT THE SILICON VALLEY OXIC, UH, CALLED, UM, SILICON VALLEY, TOXIC COALITION.
UM, A COUPLE YEARS BACK, THEY RANKED SOLAR PANELS AND, UM, I JUST DON'T KNOW LIKE WHOSE JOB IT WOULD BE TO KIND OF DEFINE, UM, BUT YEAH, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AND HOW IT CAN BE CONSIDERED.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THE COMMISSION CAN JUST HAVE A, WITH THAT ON THE AGENDA TO TALK ABOUT IT, AND MAYBE EVERYBODY CAN DO SOME RESEARCH OR IF AUSTIN ENERGY WITH THEIR EXPERTS ARE AND WHY, YOU KNOW, CAN JUST SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CRITERIA THAT ARE APPLIED TO THE SELECTION OF, UM, UH, UH, FIRMS THAT BID ON OUR PROJECTS.
AND THERE ARE MANY, UM, OBVIOUSLY PRICE LOCATION SLASH CONGESTION, UM, DIVERSITY, UM, COINCIDENCE, PINK, ALL OF THOSE, THERE, THERE ARE MANY, MANY CRITERIA.
AND SO I LIKE YOUR IDEA COMMISSIONER BRENNAMAN OF JUST GETTING A REPORT, UM, ON WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING IN THAT, IN THAT REGARD, UM, TO HELP INFORM, UH, UH, WHAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. KIMBERLEY.
SO MAYBE WE COULD, UM, ADD THAT TO OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU, REBECCA.
I HAVE, I HAVE THAT NOTED HERE.
UM, AND I'LL SAY, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF MAKING SURE TO HAVE, UH, TIME FOR THESE DISCUSSIONS AT THE COMMISSION IS WE CAN, UH, WE CAN LOOK TO OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH STAFF, UH, TO, TO KIND OF SET UP THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
UM, SO THAT THEY'RE PRODUCTIVE.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION COMMISSIONER BRENNAMAN.
ARE THERE, UH, OTHER OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, UH, FROM THE COMMISSION FOR, UH, MR. HARVEY OR MS. KIMBERLY? I DID HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UM, IT WAS ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES SOLAR RATE.
UM, I SAW THAT YOU REPORTED THE CURRENT RATE, AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ADAA, UM, INSTALLATION.
SO THE, UM, THE INSTALLATION IS, HAS A BETTER PRICE POINT THAN THE OTHER THAN THE OTHER
[00:55:01]
INSTALLATIONS THAT ARE IN COMMUNITY SOLAR.HOWEVER, UM, THE CURRENT, UH, COMMUNITY SOLAR RATE DOES NOT FULLY RECOVER, UM, FOR THOSE OTHER PROJECTS, UH, WHEN WE BLEND IN THE NEW ONE, IT'S CLOSER.
UM, BUT IT'S STILL NOT QUITE THERE.
SO THE, THE BREAK WILL STILL SAY THE SAME AT A PALATABLE LEVEL, WHICH DOESN'T FULLY RECOVER.
UM, BUT AS WE INTRODUCE MORE MOWER COSTS PROJECTS TO THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM, THEN THAT SHOULD BRING THAT BLENDED PORTFOLIO COSTS DOWN TO, UM, A PLACE WHERE, UM, WE'LL BE, RE-EVALUATING IT.
ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE MARKET RATE, UH, DOES NOT FULLY RECOVER OR THAT THE PROGRAM OVERALL THE MARKET RATE, WHAT WOULD THE FULL RECOVERY RATE BE? UH, I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER, UM, READILY AVAILABLE AND WE DON'T REALLY DISCLOSE OUR PPA PRICING, UM, EVEN IN AGGREGATE AGGREGATE, BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S QUITE A BIT MORE THAN WHAT WOULD BE PALATABLE TO, TO PUT OUT AS AN OFFERING.
OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING OUR SOLAR UPDATE.
UM, TIM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, THE RICH PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION AND DEBBIE, WE SURE APPRECIATE YOU, YOU BEING HERE, UH, TO ADD, UH, YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND, AND COMMENTS, UM, AS WELL.
I, WE APPRECIATE THERE QUITE A VARIETY OF TOPICS HERE FROM THE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM TO, TO COMMERCIAL, TO SCHOOLS, TO REBATES.
UM, AND SO WE APPRECIATE THE, THE RICHNESS OF THE INFORMATION YOU'VE SHARED.
[3. Discuss timing and content of future agenda items.]
WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE ON THE AGENDA.ALTHOUGH I THINK WE'VE, UH, ACTUALLY STARTED, UH, PULLING DOWN SOME NOTES FROM OUR, OUR, UH, PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS.
UM, BUT THAT IS REALLY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A BIT OF TIME TOGETHER AS A COMMISSION, UM, TO DISCUSS OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND THE TIMING AND CONTENT OF THOSE ITEMS. UM, AND I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED, UH, AND OUR DISCUSSION IN DECEMBER.
UM, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE'VE GOT A, QUITE A STRONG LIST OF, UM, OF, UH, SUGGESTED TOPICS TO PRIORITIZE, UH, FROM THIS COMMISSION, UM, THAT I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO, UH, TO REVIEW QUICKLY AND THEN OPEN FOR DISCUSSION AGAIN.
UM, BUT BEFORE I DO, I'D LIKE TO SAY I'M A BIG, THANK YOU TO BOTH JAMIE MITCHELL AND AKASHA GOODWIN FOR THE WORK, UH, THAT YOU WILL HAVE DONE, UH, AS OUR, OUR LIAISONS, UH, JAMIE, UH, WHO WILL BE HEADED, UH, DOING FULFILLING HIS DUTIES AT THE LEGISLATURE AND THE TASHA.
WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD, UH, HELPING, UH, TO, TO, TO STRUCTURE OUR AGENDAS AND CONVERSATIONS, UH, ALONG WITH THIS COMMISSION GOING FORWARD.
UM, THANKS TO, UH, JAMIE AND NATASHA'S WORK.
UM, JUST WANT TO GIVE A QUICK PREVIEW OF WHAT THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS ARE LOOKING LIKE AS THEY STAND NOW OR WHAT WE HAVE, UH, AS OUR ITEMS AND THEN A FEW, UH, KIND OF SUMMARY PIECES FROM, UH, WHAT WE HEARD, OR I GUESS REALLY WHAT, WHAT I'VE KIND OF SYNTHESIZED A BIT AS I'VE TRIED TO CATEGORIZE THE DISCUSSION FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
UM, SO, SO FIRSTLY, UH, LOOKING AHEAD THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, UH, IN FEBRUARY, WE WILL HAVE OUR, UH, QUARTERLY UPDATE FROM AUSTIN WATER.
UM, AND IN MARCH WE HAVE OUR TEXAS GAS SERVICE, UH, QUARTERLY UPDATE ON CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SCHEDULED.
UM, AND THEN APRIL, UH, THE, THE BIG ITEM ASSUMING, UH, COUNCIL PASSAGE, UH, WILL BE A DISCUSSION ON OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, IN EACH OF THOSE OF COURSE ARE, UH, QUITE, UH, BROAD, UH, IN TERMS OF, OF, UH, TOPICS FOR US TO DISCUSS, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THOSE FOCUS AREAS.
I TOOK A BIT OF TIME, UH, GOING BACK THROUGH THE, THE NOTES AND THE MINUTES FROM OUR DECEMBER MEETING AND REALLY WANTED TO TRY TO, UM, ATTEMPT TO KIND OF SYNTHESIZE WHAT, UH, THE DISCUSSION AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL, UM, INTO KIND OF KEY LIKE CATEGORIES OR BUCKETS, UM, THAT WE MAY, UH, MAY, UH, ATTEMPT TO HAVE STRUCTURED CONVERSATIONS
[01:00:01]
GOING FORWARD WITH EACH OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS WITH WHOM, UH, WE, WE OPERATE, UM, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.UH, FIRSTLY, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, AS A COMMISSION ARE ALIGNED, UH, IN TERMS OF THE TOPICS THAT WE FEEL ARE RELEVANT FOR INFORMING OUR, UH, AGENDA AND ACTIONS AS A COMMISSION.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE APPROPRIATELY WORKING WITH, UH, CITY STAFF AND DEPARTMENTS, UM, SO THAT, UH, WE CAN, UH, UH, WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RELEVANT INFORMATION IS PRESENTED, UH, IN, IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, AND IN A WAY THAT, UH, WILL INFORM OUR DISCUSSIONS GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO QUICKLY I KIND OF CREATED SIX, UH, CATEGORIES LET'S SAY FOR WHICH I WOULD, UH, APPRECIATE, UH, FEEDBACK, UH, FROM, FROM THIS COMMISSION.
UM, AND I'LL GO THROUGH THOSE QUICKLY AND THEN WE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH.
UM, SO THE FIRST KIND OF KEY THEME THAT I BELIEVE WE HEARD WAS THAT THIS COMMISSION VALUES CITIZEN INPUT AND EQUITY, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THOSE TWO VALUES ARE, UH, INCORPORATED INTO ALL OF OUR WORK, UH, GOING FORWARD.
UM, THAT IS BOTH WITH REGARD TO, I THINK, CITIZEN INPUT TO OUR, OUR COMMISSION'S WORK, UH, GENERALLY.
AND, UM, ESPECIALLY SPECIFICALLY WITH REGARD TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UM, THE SECOND KIND OF BIG TOPIC THAT I THINK I HEARD FROM, FROM OUR DISCUSSION, UH, LAST AND DURING THE LAST MEETING, UM, WAS MAKING SURE THAT WE, UM, APPRECIATE SORT OF THE KEY, UM, INDICATORS BY WHICH WE'RE, UH, THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED RELATED TO, UH, PROGRAM PERFORMANCE, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN WATER, AND THE DEPARTMENTS PROVIDE QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION, UH, IN THEIR MONTHLY REPORTS AND QUARTERLY REPORTS TO THIS COMMISSION.
AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE HONING IN ON THOSE KINDS OF KEY INDICATORS, UH, WITHIN THOSE, UH, REPORTS OR THAT CONTEXT THAT WE THINK ARE OUR MOST VALUABLE, UM, AND THAT WE HAVE, UH, APPROPRIATELY, UM, SCHEDULED OUR CONVERSATIONS TO, TO FOCUS ON THE TOPICS THAT WE THINK ARE RELEVANT.
UM, THE THIRD KIND OF BIG TOPIC IS OF COURSE SOLAR.
UM, AND, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN TO, TO TIM AND TO DEBBIE FOR THE, UH, DISCUSSIONS, UH, THAT WE HAD TODAY.
AND OF COURSE WE WILL CONTINUE, UH, UM, SOLAR UPDATES, UH, GOING FORWARD.
THE FOURTH MAJOR CATEGORY, UH, IS ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UM, AND REALLY THE TWO KEY THEMES.
UH, I THINK THIS IS BOTH RELATED TO, TO ELECTRICITY AND GAS, UH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UM, OR WHAT WE MAY EXPECT, UH, WITH REGARD TO, UH, FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDING, UM, AND ANY PREDICTED FEDERAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY CHANGES, UM, AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, VISIBILITY OR THAT WE'RE, WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
UH, AS COMMISSIONER SMITH BROUGHT UP EARLIER ON THIS CALL.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS DISCUSSION AS WELL ABOUT THE LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY COVID-19.
UM, AND THE, THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON BOTH, UH, EFFICIENCY IN, IN CONSERVATION, THE FIFTH KIND OF MAJOR AREA, UH, WAS, WAS REALLY, UH, RELATED TO THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, SEVERAL, SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS, UH, FROM THIS COMMISSION ABOUT, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WHAT THAT MEANS, UH, WITH REGARD TO OUR PURVIEW.
UM, AND I THINK KIND OF SPANNING THE GAMUT BETWEEN HOW WE'RE REACHING A NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS, UM, TO, UH, THEY EMBODIED, UH, UH, CARBON DISCUSSION, UH, THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, AT THIS COMMISSION IN THE PAST.
UM, AND I DO RECOMMEND THAT ONCE THE CLIMATE, UH, PLAN IS PASSED, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PAN PLAN IS PASSED, THAT WE ARE VERY THOUGHTFUL IN TERMS OF, OF THE TOPICS WE'D LIKE TO TACKLE, UH, WITH REGARD TO THAT PLAN BECAUSE THEY ARE, UH, THEY ARE MANY.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY THE SIXTH AREA WAS WITH REGARD TO, UH, WATER CONSERVATION, UM, AND NEW MEASURES SUCH AS RAIN GARDENS AND WATER REUSE.
I WANTED TO GIVE THAT, THAT RECAP, UM, QUICKLY, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A METHOD BY WHICH WE, AS A COMMISSION CAN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PUBLICLY SHARE THOSE, THOSE TOPICS THAT ARE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY FOR US.
AND THEN ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING, UH, COLLABORATIVELY WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS, UH, SO THAT THE, THE PRESENTATIONS AND INFORMATION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING ARE, UH, RELEVANT TO WHAT WE SEE AS THE WORK OF THIS COMMISSION.
UM, SO WITH THAT MONOLOGUE, I APOLOGIZE.
I THINK THAT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER THAN I ANTICIPATED.
UM, I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO ANYTHING, UM, EITHER THAT WASN'T CAPTURED IN THIS LIST OR THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS NEW BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS
[01:05:01]
THAT WE HAD TODAY, UH, THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO OUR AGENDAS GOING FORWARD, THEN OTHERS HAS CAME ABOUT, UM, ALL OF THAT SOUNDED REALLY GOOD AS I LISTENED TO IT.UM, BUT I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD, MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S INTERESTED, I GUESS YOU CAN'T SHARE YOUR SCREEN OR, UM, I DUNNO, IS THERE A WAY WE CAN SEE YES.
AND, UM, I, THAT, THAT IS A GREAT SUGGESTION IN CASE I APOLOGIZE.
I ACTUALLY DID INTEND TO SEND THAT OUT BEFORE THIS DISCUSSION, BUT, UM, I, I THINK BECAUSE I'M AN ATTENDEE, I'M, I'M NOT ABLE TO SHARE MY SCREEN, UM, BUT WHAT I WILL COMMIT TO IS FOLLOWING UP, UH, AFTER THIS DISCUSSION AND MAKING SURE TO DISTRIBUTE THAT LIST.
UM, AND PERHAPS, UM, IF NATASHA, IF YOU'RE WILLING TO, TO HELP SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMISSIONERS AND, AND GATHER INPUT, WE COULD, WE COULD GO THAT ROUTE.
I WONDER IF SHE COULD EVEN DO IT ON THE FLY HERE.
IS THAT AN OPTION? UH, LET'S SEE.
CAN YOU SEND IT TO ME, MADAM CHAIR? UH, I BELIEVE THAT I CAN, UM, GIVE ME JUST A MOMENT.
UM, LET'S PLEASE GO AHEAD AND PERHAPS HAVE, UH, SOME OF THIS DISCUSSION AND THEN I'LL, I'LL GET THIS SENT TO YOU RIGHT NOW, NATASHA, AND THEY CAN, YOU CAN, YOU CAN PUT IT UP FOR US, SEND IT TO THE AB TECH INSTEAD TO THE, TO THE AB TECH EMAIL.
I WILL, UH, I'M, I'M WORKING ON SHARING THIS NOW, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, UM, I GUESS BASED ON YOUR, YOUR MEMORY OF MY, UH, MY, UH, CONVERSATION THERE, ARE THERE OTHER TOPICS, UH, THAT ANY COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP, UM, BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO SHARE THE FULL LIST THEN THE SAM? UM, SO LAST TIME, AND THEN, UM, I GUESS, UH, DURING DECEMBER WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UH, COORDINATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO SEE WHAT THEIR ROLES ARE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MEETING CARBON REDUCTIONS AND SO ON.
SO, AND YOU ALSO MENTIONED THAT, UM, UH, BUT THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE MONTHS IN APRIL CLIMATE EQUATED PLAN, I GUESS, COUNCIL IS GOING TO APPROVE THAT.
SO, UM, DO WE WAIT UNTIL, OR THE PLAN IS TO WAIT UNTIL THAT IS APPROVED BEFORE, UM, COORDINATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS, OR SHOULD WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, UH, WITH THESE, WITH, WITH THOSE, UH, COORDINATIONS FOR FUTURE MONTHS BEFORE APRIL? I MEAN, IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME, I'M, I'M JUST, I'M JUST TRYING TO KIND OF CLARIFY OR VERIFY WHAT THE, WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS OR PLANETS IT.
UM, SO I THINK IN TERMS OF ANY, YOU KNOW, ANY, UM, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE ANY ACTION BY THIS, UH, COMMISSION WOULD WAIT TILL APPROVAL, THE PLAN.
HOWEVER, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT PROHIBITS US FROM HAVING, UH, DOING OUR, OUR HOMEWORK, SO TO SPEAK OR HAVING A PARTICULAR, UH, CONVERSATIONS RELATED TO WHAT WE KNOW ARE PRIORITIES THERE.
UM, TH THAT, THAT'S MY, MY THOUGHT ON IT THAT I WOULD LOVE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSION AS WELL, FOR THOUGHTS.
UM, SO I THINK THAT BOTH, WE SHOULD PUT TOGETHER A PLAN, BUT DANA, I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SOME OR MADAM CHAIR.
I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR YOU TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THE, UH, LIKELY GROUPS WITH WHOM WE MIGHT BE COORDINATING AND SEE IF, SEE IF THEY'RE GOING THROUGH SIMILAR PROCESSES IN A PARTICULAR AREA, THINK OF THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S ALSO A WATER FOCUSED COMMISSION, UH, AS WELL, UM, THAT, UH, ALSO LOOKS AT WATER CONSERVATION ISSUES, UM, AND SEE WHAT AGENDAS THEY MAY BE COOKING UP AND, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT INVITING THEM TO PARTICIPATE JOINTLY OR SEQUENTIALLY AND, UM, OUR WORK.
UM, AND, UM, THIS IS AN OBSERVATION THAT I, I OFTEN THINK THAT WE, BECAUSE
[01:10:01]
OF THE 76 OR WHATEVER IT IS, DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT WE HAVE IN SYDNEY.UH DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO SIMILAR WORK ARE DOING, AND IT MUST BE QUITE DEMENTING, NOT ONLY TO SYDNEY STAFF, UM, BUT THE, UH, COUNCIL AS WELL TO HAVE SIMILAR OR PERIODICALLY CONFLICTING RATE OR REGULATIONS COMING, OR, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FROM VARIOUS COMMISSIONS.
AND, UM, SO I THINK THINKING THROUGH HOW BEST TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THESE MEMBERS MIGHT BE WARRANTS.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, SPINNY AND, AND PROBABLY LEADS TO EFFICIENCY OF, OF, UH, ALL OF OUR TIME.
UM, I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
AND FOR YOU GUYS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN, UM, ON SEEING THESE PROCESSES FOR AWHILE, UM, I I'M CURIOUS, DO YOU HAVE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE, THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO HAVE THAT ENGAGEMENT? UM, MEANING WOULD YOU SEE US INVITING OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONERS FROM OTHER COMMISSIONS TO COME SHARE WITH US WHAT THEY'RE WORKING ON AND VICE VERSA, PERHAPS WE PARTICIPATE IN, IN THEIR MEETINGS AS WELL, OR ARE THERE OTHER THOUGHTS OR SUGGESTIONS ON THE BEST WAY, LIKE KIND OF THE, THE MECHANICS OF, OF THAT.
UM, I'M GONNA ASSUME THAT MAYBE THERE AREN'T, UH, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF, UH, PAST PRECEDENT FOR THOSE, BUT WHAT WE WILL CERTAINLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
I SEE THAT YOU'VE, UH, YOU ARE ABLE TO SHARE, UH, TO SHARE THE, UM, SUMMARY THAT I SHARED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PUTTING THAT UP THERE.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, PERHAPS I'LL GO BACK AND JUST SUPER HIGH LEVEL, JUST THE WAY THIS IS STRUCTURED.
AND THIS IS BASICALLY A BIT OF WHAT I WAS READING THROUGH AND APOLOGIES.
IT'S NOT, UH, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF, OF, UH, OF JUST MAY NOT BE AS CLEAN AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
UM, BUT AGAIN, REALLY THE, THE KIND OF SIX MAIN THEMES THAT, UM, I FELT EMERGED FROM OUR LAST DISCUSSION WERE REALLY JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE VALUING SETTING CITIZEN INPUT AND EQUITY.
UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR IN TERMS OF OUR GENERAL PROGRAM EVALUATION AND WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW WE UTILIZE THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING PRESENTED TO US BY THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THE, THE SOLAR TOPIC, UH, WE DISCUSSED SOLAR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CLIMATE.
UH, THE CLIMATE PLAN ARE SORT OF NATURALLY OCCURRING ON OUR AGENDA AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ALIGNED IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND TOPICS THAT WE HOPE TO GET OUT OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS, UH, AND, AND PRESENTATIONS BY, UH, THE VARIOUS, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I THINK ON THIS PAGE TWO, THIS IS WATER, UH, IS THE SIX, UH, CATEGORY, UH, FOR US TO SEE, UM, I'M SORRY.
UM, I'M THE SOLAR ITEM, I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, UM, BE SIGNIFICANTLY BROADER THAN, THAN WHAT IT IS.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT TOPIC TO EXPLORE.
I WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, ADD CITY PETTER IN THAT MAYBE THIS IS IMPLIED, BUT NOT JUST CITY LAND, BUT, UH, CITY BUILDINGS AS WELL, UM, TO, TO THAT BULLET POINT.
AND, UH, I GUESS WITH LIKE, UM, ENGAGEMENT ON OTHER SOLAR TOPICS, UM, TO, TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE ARE TAKING UP IN THE NEAR TERM, I THINK, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THERE ARE SOME CHANGES, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE AUSTIN ENERGY SOLAR PROGRAMS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN PARTICULAR, UH, WE SHOULD BE ENGAGED IN THE ROLLOUT OF THE CHAIRED SOLAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND THE, UM, I GUESS THE CONCERNS, THE HESITANCY OF, OF GOING FOR WHATEVER, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS WORKING.
I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT CAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD.
UM, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THERE'S DRAWBACKS TO, YOU KNOW, ROLLING OUT EVEN SLUNG WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALREADY BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING AND THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST DIFFICULT TO IMPULSE USE SOLAR FOR MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS.
SO I THINK LIKE THAT SHOULD BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE ENGAGE WITH ON
[01:15:01]
A POLICY LEVEL.LIKE, IS IT RIGHT THAT IT'D BE RESTRICTED TO LIKE INCOME RESTRICTED HOUSING OR SHOULD IT BE SOMETHING BROADER? SHOULD IT EVEN BE RESTRICTED JUST TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING? YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT'S WORTHY OF A CONVERSATION, I THINK.
UM, AND I'M, I'M TAKING NOTES THERE AND WE CAN CERTAINLY, UM, I GUESS THIS, THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED AT THIS STAGE TO REALLY BE REFLECTIVE OF, OF THE CONVERSATION FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
SO IT WASN'T INTENDED TO BE COMPREHENSIVE.
UM, AND AS, AS YOU KNOW, TIM JUST SHARED WITH US, OF COURSE, THE, THE, THE SOLAR UPDATE, UM, WAS MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE THAN THE BULLET WE HAD HERE, BUT I DO THINK WHAT WHAT'S NICE ABOUT KIND OF LOOKING AT THIS LIST THIS WAY.
UM, AND, AND PERHAPS DOING SO ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I THINK THAT WE DO HAVE A WAY TO CAPTURE THE PRIORITIES OF THIS COMMISSION, UH, JUST AS YOU SUGGESTED, UM,
UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I'LL JUST POSE THAT TO THE GROUP.
WOULD IT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THIS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, RUNNING LIST AS WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING FOR IT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD AT WHAT OUR FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS ARE AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A COMMISSION, WE HAVE A MEETING, UH, OR A DISCUSSION IN ONE MEETING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SET UP OUR NEXT MEETING SO THAT WE THINK IT CAN BE, UM, UH, THE MOST INFORMATIVE FOR OUR, OUR WORK AS A COMMISSION.
AND I WILL, IT'S SARAH, JUST TO JUMP IN ONE MORE TIME WAS NOT AT ALL.
THIS IS A GREAT, UH, YOU KNOW, LISTEN, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WERE READING IT OUT, IT WAS LIKE, WOW, THAT'S A LOT OF GOOD STUFF WE HAVE ON OUR PLATE.
AND I GUESS LIKE, ACTUALLY AS I WAS SITTING IN THE ONE OTHER SOLAR RELATED THING THAT I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD HAVE ON OUR RADAR IS, UM, THE, WHATEVER COMES OUT OF THE RFP THAT CLOSED BACK IN NOVEMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SOMETHING COMING OUT OF THAT.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD ENGAGE WITH IT.
AND I THINK TO THAT POINT, KATIE, BUT I THINK THIS IS ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY AND I KNOW WE'VE DISCUSSED IT AT THIS COMMISSION IN THE PAST, UM, IS, IS MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FOLLOWING IN LINE FROM A TIMELINE PERSPECTIVE THAT WE'RE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS WHEN THEY CAN BE MOST RELEVANT.
UM, AND SO I THINK, UM, UH, WITH, WITH NATASHA'S HELP, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN REALLY START TO CALENDAR THESE DISCUSSIONS OUT SO THAT WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING THEM AT THE TIME.
THAT MAKES SENSE FOR THE, THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NATURALLY OCCURRING PROCESSES, PROCESSES, UM, AND, AND MAKE SENSE FOR, FOR US IN TERMS OF, OF ANY RECOMMENDATIONS WE CHOOSE TO MAKE AS A COMMISSION.
SO I GUESS, UM, I'D ACTUALLY LIKE TO TURN OUR ATTENTION IN OUR REMAINING TIME TOGETHER, UM, BECAUSE OUR, OUR NEXT UPDATE IS, IS SCHEDULED TO BE AT AN UPDATE FROM AUSTIN WATER.
UM, ARE THERE PARTICULAR, MAYBE I'LL, I'LL TRY TO HONE US IN ON THAT.
AND THEN OF COURSE WE CAN CONTINUE BUILDING ON THIS LIST.
UM, THE, THE TOPIC WE HAVE RELATED TO AUSTIN WATER, UM, AS WE'VE CAPTURED IT LAST TIME WAS RELATED TO WATER CONSERVATION AND NEW MEASURES SUCH AS RAIN GARDENS OR, AND WATER REUSE AS A TOPIC TO FOCUS ON.
UM, ARE THERE OTHER KIND OF PRIORITY AGENDA ITEMS THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO, TO BRING UP, UH, FOR OUR NEXT, THE DISCUSSION AT OUR NEXT MEETING? SO, UH, MADAM CHAIRMAN, BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR AWAY FROM YOUR LIST, ONE OTHER ITEM UNDER THE SOLAR THING IS SIMILAR TO THE QUESTION ABOUT CITY OWNED LANDS.
UM, THERE IS, ARE, UM, UH, I BELIEVE SEVERAL THOUSAND, UM, CITY REQUIRED, WATER RETENTION, PONDS, UH, SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE CITIES IN NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, EACH WEEK WITH A RELATIVELY SUBSTANTIAL, UM, AREA OF UNUSED LAND SURROUNDING THOSE PONDS.
AND THERE ALSO IS A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WATER RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE AT WATER SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS AND AT, UM, WATER
[01:20:01]
TREATMENT PLANTS.UM, THINK, THINK ABOUT THE GREEN PLANT TOUR, UH, MANY OF THE OTHERS THAT A DOT OR CITIES LANDSCAPES THAT ARE FERTILE SITES FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR FACILITIES.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO PUT ON THE AGENDA AT THE SAME TIME AS WE HAVE THE QUESTION ABOUT, UH, CITY OWNED LAND, UM, THE, UH, LANDS OWNED BY, UM, THE, UH, CITY WATER DEPARTMENT, UM, AND REQUIRED AS PART OF A, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TERM OF ART IS, BUT THE, UH, STORM WATER, UH, DIVISION, UM, AS POSSIBLE SITES FOR DISTRIBUTED SOLAR AND WITHIN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE ANALYSIS I HAVE DONE IS THAT, UH, 60% OF THE ROOFTOPS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ARE BLESSED WITH ENTIRELY TOO MUCH SHADE TO BE ABLE TO GENERATE SOLAR AND ANYBODY WHO WE COULD FIND THAT HASN'T DONE IT, WE'VE BEEN KNOCKING ON THEIR DOOR SUGGESTING THEY GET SOME SOLAR, BUT THE, UM, AND I SUSPECT THE SAME IS TRUE WITH AUSTIN.
WE ARE BLESSED WITH ENTIRELY TOO MANY TREES AND OUR SOLAR POTENTIAL IS DIMINISHED BY THAT.
AND SO COMMUNITY SOLAR ON THOSE AREAS WHERE TREES HAVE BEEN REMOVED IS I THINK, AN NEXT STEP, UM, FOR THE CITY AND EACH OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ALREADY HAS A SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING, UM, FEES.
UM, AND THE SOLAR PRODUCTION COULD OFFSET THOSE FEES OR COULD BE REBATED BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LIST OF EVERYBODY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AND M AND A MECHANISM THROUGH THEIR HOS FOR COLLECTING AND DISPERSING SUCH THINGS SO LONG, UH, ARGUMENT FOR WHY WE NEED TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE COMMUNITY SOLAR ON WATER TREATMENT AND WATER RETENTION FACILITIES.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS A CITY TO, UM, MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL PROGRESS ON SOLAR.
THANK YOU, SMITTY I'VE, UH, I'VE, I'VE, I'VE CAPTURED THAT, UH, TO, TO ADD TO OUR LIST HERE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS.
UM, AND IT, IT DOES FEEL LIKE YOU, PERHAPS THIS KIND OF CATEGORIZED AND IN PRIORITIZING IS WORKING, AND IT'S HELPFUL TO KIND OF SEE, TO SEE THIS RUNNING LIST.
UM, AND SO I, UM, WILL WORK WITH NATASHA AND KEEP THIS LIST UPDATED.
UM, AND, AND IDEALLY WE CAN START, UH, DISTRIBUTING IT BEFORE EACH MEETING SO THAT YOU ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AND, UM, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME SUGGESTIONS AND THOUGHTS AS, UH, AS THEY COME TO YOU.
UM, AND I WILL PROMISE CITY, I WILL DO MY BEST TO AVOID ANY SORT OF WALKING QUORUM.
WE WON'T DISCUSS THE TOPICS, WE'LL JUST ADD THEM TO THE, TO THE LIST.
UM, BUT I DO, I DO THINK THIS IS HELPFUL FOR US FOR, FOR PRIORITIZING.
AND THEN, UM, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED EARLIER FOR WORKING WITH CITY STAFF, JUST TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF KNOW, KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND WHAT THIS COMMISSION IS GOING TO CARE ABOUT, UH, FOR, FOR THESE PRESENTATIONS, UM, TO MAKE THEM, UH, MOST, MOST RELEVANT FOR US ALL, ANY OTHER, UM, THOUGHTS OR SUGGESTIONS BEFORE WE, UH, WE CLOSE OUR JANUARY MEETING.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO TIM HARVEY FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, INTO DEBBIE, KIMBERLY FOR, UH, FOR THE DISCUSSION.
UM, AND, AND ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU AGAIN TO, TO NATASHA FOR, UH, ALL OF YOUR HELP TO, TO SET UP THIS MEETING AND HELP US RUN, UH, SMOOTHLY.
AND, UH, WE WILL SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER OR NOVEMBER.
I'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH IN FEBRUARY.
[01:25:05]