[00:00:03]
[CALL MEETING TO ORDER ]
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.UH, IT IS TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH, SE 6:07 PM I'M CALLING TO ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION.
UM, IS YOUR, THE GREEN LIGHT IS ON.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME HERE? OKAY.
ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? NO.
UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HOUSEKEEPING BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE AGENDA.
UM, I'M TOLD THAT ITEM NUMBER THREE IS GOING TO BE TABLED.
UM, SO WE'LL TAKE THAT ONE UP POTENTIALLY NEXT MEETING.
UH, AND THEN ITEM NUMBER TWO, UH, THERE IS NO, THERE'S NO BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FOR ACTION.
UM, BUT WE'LL JUST, UH, I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Resource Management Commission Meeting on February 17, 2026. ]
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 17TH, 2026 MEETING.UM, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 17TH MEETING.
ARE THERE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ARE THERE ANY, UM, CORRECTIONS OR CHANGES? HEARING NONE.
UH, ALL IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING THE FEBRUARY 17TH, 2026 MINUTES.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, UH, A MINUTES ARE ADOPTED.
[2. Discussion and recommend the Resource Management Commission’s priorities for the Fiscal Year 2026- 2027 Budget. ]
RIGHT.THE ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS DISCUSSION AND RECOMMEND THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION'S PRIORITIES FOR 20 26 27.
UM, AS YOU PROBABLY ARE AWARE, EVERY YEAR WHEN THE CITY DOES ITS BUDGET, THEY, UH, ACCEPT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS BY, UH, MARCH 31ST.
UH, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE UNTIL THEN TO, UM, PASS RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE DON'T HAVE A, AN OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS.
UM, HOWEVER, I DID WANT TO LET THIS BODY KNOW THAT THERE ARE, UM, SOME ITEMS THAT ARE MAYBE OF INTEREST THAT WILL BE, UH, DISCUSSED AND POTENTIALLY, UM, VOTED ON AT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE TOMORROW.
UM, AND I'M THE, THE DELEGATE FROM THIS BODY TO, TO THAT COMMITTEE.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SORT OF BRING THAT, UM, HERE AND, YOU KNOW, INVITE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE RMC TO, YOU KNOW, COMMENT AND DISCUSSION, UM, FOR THAT.
SO, UM, THE FIRST ONE THAT I'LL SHARE IS, UM, CLIMATE REVOLVING FUND IMPLEMENTATION.
UH, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING, IF YOU RECALL, WE DID ADOPT A RECOMMENDATION LAST YEAR TO, UM, ASK THE CITY TO FUND A, A REVOLVING FUND, UH, TO INVEST IN, UH, CARBON REDUCING, UM, PROJECTS, UH, ENABLE INVESTMENTS IN BUILDINGS THAT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S A PROVISION IN THE DRAFT RECOMMENDATION THAT, UM, THE JSC WANTS TO URGE THAT THE CITY ENSURE THAT, UH, THE FUND THAT WAS ESTABLISHED, THAT THE CITY DID ESTABLISH BY RESOLUTION BACK IN AUGUST, UM, IS FORMALLY IN PLACE AND THAT ALL APPROPRIATE SAVINGS ARE DIRECTED TO IT.
ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS AROUND THAT? OKAY.
UM, THIS BESIDES BEING PLEASANTLY SURPRISED,
SOMEBODY ALWAYS HAS TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO SCREW UP THE MUTE BUTTON.
UM, DO WE KNOW IF THE CITY HAS DONE ANYTHING WITH THE MONEY IN THAT FUND? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S HAS NOT BEEN ANY, UH, FUNDING FOR THAT.
IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION.
UM, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING HAS BEEN SPENT, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S BEEN ACTUALLY FORMALLY ALLOCATED.
I DON'T GUESS WE HAVE ANY IDEAS THAT, THAT ARE USEFUL AT THIS TIME ABOUT WHAT THEY COULD DO WITH THAT, BUT WE MIGHT PUT SOME THOUGHT TO THAT IN FUTURE MEETINGS.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS IS, UH, TO
[00:05:01]
TRY AND GET SOLAR ON ALL, UM, APPROPRIATE CITY BUILDINGS.UM, I THINK THERE'S, THERE WAS A STUDY THAT WAS DONE THAT, UM, I THINK ABOUT HALF OF CITY OWNED BUILDINGS ARE CANDIDATES FOR, UM, FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR.
SO IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT HAPPEN, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE ARE INTERESTED IN, IN DOING.
AND MAYBE THAT'S AT SOME POINT BETWEEN NOW AND THE, UM, THE FINAL BUDGET, WE COULD PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF A POSITION PAPER THAT INCLUDES, UH, SOME PROVISIONS, MAYBE INCLUDING THAT ONE.
I, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE DO ENERGY EFFICIENCY ON CITY BUILDINGS BEFORE WE DO SOLAR, BUT I SUPPORT THE CONCEPT.
THE, THE NEXT ITEM IS, UH, ON, ON THE JSC DRAFT RECOMMENDATION HAS TO DO WITH RECOMMENDING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, BUDGET FOR INCENTIVES FOR LOCAL CUSTOMER SIDED SOLAR IN INSTALLATIONS THROUGH SOLAR STANDARD OFFER.
UM, I'VE BEEN ASKING, UH, TO GET A SOLAR STANDARD OFFER UPDATE, UH, FOR THIS, UH, AT THE RMC.
I THINK IT'S BEEN ABOUT SIX MONTHS SINCE WE'VE HAD ONE, SO, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT CAN BE FORTHCOMING.
UM, NOW THERE IS, THERE IS SOMETHING IN HERE THAT I'D LIKE TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMISSION ON, WHICH IS, UM, THE, LET'S SEE, I'M TRYING TO READ THROUGH THIS.
INCENTIVES CAN BE PAID FOR USING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE AS OUR EXISTING SOLAR INCENTIVES REVENUE GENERATED FROM NEW COMMUNITY SOLAR SUBSCRIPTIONS SHOULD ALSO BE ALLOCATED, ALLOCATED TO THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER RATE, UM, IDEALLY FOR RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATIONS.
AND THEN, UH, A REDESIGN OF THE GREEN CHOICE PROGRAM COULD BE CONSIDERED TO PROVIDE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER INCENTIVES.
THAT ITEM IS, UH, IS IN A DRAFT BUDGET RECOMMENDATION TO BE TAKEN UP THIS WEEK AT THE JSC.
AND ON THAT ONE TOO, WE DON'T, YOU'RE NOT ASKING US TO TO PASS ANYTHING.
WE'RE, WE'RE NOT PO WELL, WE ARE POSTED, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY LIKE, RECOMMENDATION YEAH.
UM, TO PASS TONIGHT, BUT MORE FOR JUST TO KIND OF TAKE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE COMMISSION.
SO, UM, WHEN I GO TO THAT MEETING TOMORROW MM-HMM
UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO HAVE COMMENTS FROM THIS BODY.
I, I DO SEE YOU VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, I'LL GET TO YOU NEXT.
HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY SOLAR? IS THAT BUILT ON PEOPLE'S HOUSES OR IS THAT'S BUILT SOMEWHERE AND PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO IT? YEAH.
UM, THE, IT'S THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER.
UM, LET ME TRY NOT TO BUTCHER THAT.
UM, THAT ALLOWS, UH, THIRD PARTIES TO, UM, TO PLACE SOLAR ONTO, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS ROOFTOPS, SO THAT THE, THE OWNER DOES NOT HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, INCUR THE COST OF IT.
AND THAT THERE IS A, THERE'S A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE THAT'S MEANT TO ENCOURAGE ADOPTION, UM, OF THAT WITHOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITHOUT THE HOMEOWNER NECESSARILY HAVING TO DO THAT.
UM, SOMEONE MAY BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN IT BETTER, BUT WE DID HAVE A, A BRIEFING ON THIS A WHILE BACK, BUT I'M ASKING THEM TO COME BACK AGAIN.
BUT YEAH, THE COMMUNITY ONES THAT EXIST CURRENTLY, THEY'RE LIKE ON AT THE AIRPORT OR ON BIG BUILDINGS, BUT IN THEORY, THEY COULD BE PUT ON A THOUSAND HOMES SOMEWHERE MM-HMM
AND THEN IT'S LIKE THE COMMUNITY GROUP SOMEHOW OWNS OR HAS A, A STAKE IN THAT AS THAT WAS THE IDEA.
AND, AND THERE'S A COMMERCIAL COMPONENT TOO, IS MY UNDERSTANDING.
SO LIKE A STRIP MALL, FOR EXAMPLE MM-HMM
COULD BE, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, COULD ALSO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, IF YOU'RE TALKING, YOU'RE STILL MUTED.
UH, I HAVE TWO COMMENTS MEANT IN
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THE SAME DIRECTION.UH, AS MOST OF THIS COMMISSION KNOWS, I SPONSORED, UH, A RESOLUTION AND HAVE ALSO WRITTEN AN EXTENSIVE ARTICLE ABOUT REPURPOSING GREEN CHOICE INTO SOMETHING MORE USEFUL THAN ITS CURRENT FORM.
UM, IF YOU'RE ASKING MY OPINION, I THINK THAT THAT MONEY IS BETTER SPENT, UM, ON, UH, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISPATCHABLE TECHNOLOGIES IN STORAGE AND IN THAT SAME DIRECTION.
UM, THERE'S ALREADY INCENTIVES FOR, UH, STANDARD OFFER.
UH, THE ONLY WAY I COULD SEE, UH, GREEN CHOICE MONEY IMPROVING ON IT IS IF THERE'S, UH, BATTERY, UH, BACKUP FOR DISPATCHABILITY.
UM, IT ISN'T, AT ONE TIME IT WAS A BANNER PROGRAM.
UH, I WON'T ARGUE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD WAYS TO SPEND THE MONEY, BUT I WOULD RATHER IT BE SPENT ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISPATCHABILITY.
THANKS FOR THAT INPUT, COMMISSIONERS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT? I, UM, AND I THINK THE, THE LAST ONE THAT I SEE ON HERE THAT'S OF, OF INTEREST TO THIS BODY, UH, IS ELIMINATION OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY RETAIL REBATE PROGRAM, UH, FOR GAS LAWN MOWERS, LINE TRIMMERS, AND LEAF BLOWERS.
I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A, THAT THERE WERE AUSTIN ENERGY REBATES FOR GAS, LAWN MOWERS, LINE TRIMMERS, AND LEAF BLOWERS, OR I GUESS THE, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS.
AND IT'S ONLY, IT'S $50,000 OR AN ELECTRIC DO.
UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, UM, I SUPPORT ELIMINATION OF WHATEVER THAT REBATE IS.
AND, UH, MS. EVERHART JUST CLARIFIED THAT IT WAS, IT'S A, SOME KIND OF TRADE IN PROGRAM TO TRADE IN A GAS, UM, APPLIANCE.
ELIMINATE, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY CLARIFY THAT.
UM, YES, THAT, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.
UM, LIKE IF YOU TRADE IN YOUR, IF YOU BRING IN YOUR GAS EQUIPMENT AND TRADE IN FOR AN ELECTRIC.
UM, AND OH, ACTUALLY THE LAST ONE, UM, HAS TO DO WITH WATER LAND, UH, AND ALL.
AND THE THIS IS FOR FINDING MONEY BECAUSE WE, AS WE KNOW, THE BUDGET IS VERY, VERY TIGHT.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO DO IF, IF MONEY WERE NOT AN ISSUE.
SO I THINK IN, IN AN ATTEMPT TO TRY TO FIND REVENUE OR MONEY SOURCES FOR THESE ITEMS, THERE WAS A FEW ON THE LIST, UM, AND ONE OF THEM IS PAUSING AUSTIN WATER LANDSCAPE CONVERSION REBATE.
AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH, I GUESS, CONVERTING LIKE GRASS, GRASS TURF GRASS TO, UH, A WATERWISE LANDSCAPE.
UH, VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, I WOULD SUPPORT ELIMINATING THAT.
I RECENTLY DID A CALCULATION AND THE, UH, MOST RECENT REBATE INFORMATION I HAD SHOWED IT TO COME OUT TO, UH, $57 PER THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER SAVED.
UM, IT'S A, A PRETTY, UM, INSANE COST.
AND AT ONE TIME, THIS, UH, PROGRAM COULD HAVE HAD EDUCATION VALUE.
YOU COULD HAVE SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT IS EXPENSIVE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO SHOW PEOPLE A BETTER WAY.
BUT THAT WAS DONE IN THE 1980S.
I THINK THE EDUCATION VALUE HAS LONG SINCE,
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PARDON THE PUN, EVAPORATED.UM, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I HAD UNLESS, UH, ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS ON ITEMS THAT MIGHT GO IN INTO A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR JSC, 'CAUSE WE DO HAVE TIME, UH, TO DO THAT.
IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION IS INTERESTED IN, IN TAKING THAT MEETING IS TOMORROW.
UH, WE ARE SKIPPING ITEM THREE AND WE'RE MOVING INTO
[4. Discussion on proposed improvements to Austin Energy's EV charging and small battery incentive programs. ]
ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS, UH, DISCUSSION ON PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS TO AUSTIN ENERGY'S EV CHARGING AND SMALL BATTERY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. UM, GOING TO LET, UH, COMMISSIONER FARMER PLEASE, UH, TAKE THAT AWAY.UM, SO YEAH, THERE'S SOME BACKUP IN HERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF ORIGINALLY WAS LOOKING AT BROADER TIME OF USE RATE SHIFTS AND RESOLUTION, LIKE WORKING TOWARDS A RESOLUTION ON THAT, BUT I THINK THE IDEA OF TACKLING RATE MAKING WAS A LITTLE DAUNTING.
AND THEN AFTER LAST MONTH'S MEETING WITH THESE TWO VERY SORT OF CONSTRAINED INCENTIVE PROGRAMS SEEMED LIKE A GOOD PLACE TO START.
SO, UM, ESSENTIALLY JUST DIGGING IN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME COMPARISONS NATIONALLY IN HERE.
AND, UH, I THINK IT WAS JUST A WAY FOR ME TO UNDERLINE LIKE WHAT WE WERE ALREADY GETTING AT IN OUR MEETING LAST MONTH, WHICH WAS THAT THESE TWO PROGRAMS BOTH SEEM, UM, UH, LIKE THINGS THAT ARE EXCITING, UH, AS THE IDEA OF THEM SEEMED EXCITING, BUT THE PARTICULARS OF THE PROGRAMS JUST SEEMED, UH, REALLY WEAK.
UM, ESSENTIALLY, I THINK IF YOU COULD SCROLL DOWN TO THE FIRST LIKE GRAPH, OH, THERE, IT'S, THERE WE GO A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
SO THAT FIRST GRAPH, LIKE WE CAN JUST LOOK AT THE, UM, NATIONAL EV CHARGING PROGRAM GRAPH TABLE UNDER, UNDER SECTION TWO.
SORRY, TABLE NOT GRAPH, TABLE UP A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO, SO ESSENTIALLY THERE'S THE BA HOME BATTERY STORAGE, AND THEN THERE'S THE EV CHARGING.
UM, IF YOU SCROLL UP A LITTLE BIT, THAT'S JUST LIKE THE SECOND HALF OF THE TABLE BEING SHOWN, UM, WHERE
IS IT, ARE YOU ABLE TO GET LIKE TWO PA OH, THERE YOU GO.
UM, ANYWAY, SO ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WERE TOLD, AND AGAIN, LIKE THE DETAILS OF THIS I THINK THEY CAN DIG INTO, BUT I DON'T REALLY THINK THEY'RE SUPER RELEVANT.
IT IS THAT IT'S LIKE A 45 YEAR PAYBACK PERIOD ON A BATTERY HERE, GIVEN THIS INCENTIVE.
WHEREAS IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN ENERGY, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE FIVE MILES FROM WHERE WE'RE SITTING, IT'S SOMEWHERE FROM LIKE EIGHT TO 10 YEARS JUST USING LIKE OCTOPUS ENERGY OR TESLA POWER, OR YOU CAN SIGN UP WITH BASE POWER AND GET LIKE FIVE POWER WALLS FOR 300 BUCKS A YEAR, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S JUST LIKE THE AMOUNT OF, UH, GRID SERVICES THAT THESE BATTERIES COULD BE DOING, UH, IS NOT THERE.
AND THE PAYBACK PERIOD IS JUST NOT THERE AS A THING THAT IS GONNA ANY WAY MOVE THE MARKET ON, UH, INCREASING BATTERY ADOPTION.
LIKE THERE'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 1,015 HUNDRED BATTERIES INSTALLED, IT SOUNDS LIKE IN AUSTIN, UH, WHICH CURRENTLY HAVE ZERO PAYBACK PERIOD, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ALL PEOPLE PURELY JUST DOING IT AS LIKE A VERY EXPENSIVE INSURANCE POLICY, SO THEIR STUFF IN THEIR FRIDGE DOESN'T GO BAD WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT.
UM, BUT IF THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF THESE IN THE CITY, IT COULD DO REALLY GREAT WORK FOR OUR GRID TO BOTH LOWER THE COST OF POWER AND LOWER THE CARBON INTENSIVENESS OF POWER.
UH, AND SO I THINK IT'S THE THING THAT WE AS A CITY HAVE A MANDATE TO BE PURSUING AGGRESSIVELY GIVEN OUR CARBON GOALS, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, UH, AND THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACTION PLAN.
AND THEN SIMILARLY, UH, IF YOU GO UP A FEW PAGES TO THE EV CHARGING, UM, IT'S LIKE MAYBE TWO PAGES.
COULD YOU SCROLL UP A COUPLE PAGES, PLEASE?
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THE OTHER, OTHER WAY, LIKE, UH, IT'S SECTION TWO.SO SIMILARLY, UH, EV CHARGING RIGHT NOW, IF YOU PLUG IN AN EV HERE, UH, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY IT COSTS THE SAME TO PLUG IT IN WHEN WE'RE IN CURTAILMENT OR IF POWER IS 20 X WHAT IT IS AT, AT THE BOTTOM.
AND THIS PROGRAM, UH, IS BASICALLY LIKE A DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM WHERE IT ALLOWS AUSTIN ENERGY TO CURTAIL CHARGING A FEW TIMES A YEAR, BUT THE MAXIMUM PAYOUT IS $35 A YEAR OR ABOUT $150 OVER FIVE YEARS, WHEREAS OTHER PROGRAMS AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND SIMILARLY, IF YOU'RE USING LIKE OCTOPUS ENERGY OR TESLA OUTSIDE OF, IN THE DEREGULATED TEXAS MARKET, CAN PAY OFF LIKE $1,500 PLUS DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH YOU DRIVE.
AND SO IT BASICALLY SCALES UP WITH HOW MUCH YOU'RE DRIVING, BUT IT'S ENOUGH OF A A DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT IT'S ACTUALLY, I THINK, INCENTIVIZING PEOPLE TO SWITCH TO EVS, RIGHT? AND IT'S ALSO INCENTIVIZING PEOPLE TO CHARGE THEIR EVS IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY AND DO GOOD THINGS FOR OUR GRID.
AND SO, AGAIN, I THINK THIS PROGRAM IS, YOU KNOW, IN THE BOTTOM DE CELL NATIONALLY, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE A MANDATE, AND I THINK AUSTIN ENERGY HAS A MANDATE VIA ALL OF THE, UH, LOW CARBON AND, AND CLIMATE GOALS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN ACTION IN THE CITY TO BE A LEADER IN THIS INSTEAD OF A LAGGARD.
AND SO, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TO ESSENTIALLY, UM, BENCHMARK, DO A BENCHMARKING STUDY, AND THEN, UH, LIKE TAG THESE PROGRAMS TO BE IN THE TOP DECILE NATIONALLY.
AND I THINK, AGAIN, LIKE I'M, I'M TOTALLY OPEN TO LIKE HOW WE TACKLE THIS.
AND THERE, I THINK MAYBE THE BIGGEST PIECE OF INFORMATION RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A WORKING GROUP MEETING TOMORROW MORNING AT NINE 30 HERE WITH SOME OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF AND SOME OF THE, OUR COMMISSION.
SO IF ANY OF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED, I KNOW THAT'S KINDA SHORT NOTICE.
BUT, UH,
UM, BUT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE, UH, DESIGNING THIS PROGRAM TO TRY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT MORE AGGRESSIVE, TRY TO TRY TO GET UP AND TO SORT OF BE A, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST A LEADER IN TEXAS, IF NOT NATIONALLY, UM, IN, IN HELPING BOTH USE THESE THINGS TO SMOOTH OUR DEMAND CURVE AND, UH, CREATE MARKET DRIVERS FOR ADOPTION OF EVS AND, AND HOME BATTERY STORAGE.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FARMER.
UM, APPRECIATE ALL THE, THE WORK AND, AND RESEARCH THAT HAS GONE INTO THAT.
IT'S VERY, UH, VERY ILLUMINATING.
I SEE COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN HAS A COMMENT.
I WANT TO JOIN YOU IN THANKING COMMISSIONER FARMER FOR THIS VERY NICE PIECE OF ANALYSIS.
UM, I THINK HIS, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AUSTIN ENERGY OWN THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS AND THIS LEVEL OF DIGGING INTO WHAT A BATTERY AND AN EV MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COULD DELIVER AND WHAT THE APPROPRIATE COSTS AND BENEFITS ARE.
I BELIEVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND OUR ELECTRIC UTILITY SHOULD BE, I AGREE WITH HIM IN THE TOP DECILE DOING, UM, THE KIND, OFFERING, THE KIND OF PROGRAM AND THE KIND OF VALUE THAT OTHER UTILITIES POINT TO AND EMULATE INSTEAD OF SOMETHING THAT IS SADLY UNECONOMIC AND UNCREATIVE AND UNATTRACTIVE TO CUSTOMERS, WHICH APPEARS TO BE WHAT WE HAVE ON THE TABLE TODAY.
AND I WANT TO, UM, REINFORCE AND EXPAND ON A COUPLE OF THE POINTS THE COMMISSIONER FARMER MADE.
WE SHOULD BE VIEWING MANAGED EV CHARGING AND, UM, BATTERY MANAGEMENT, HOME BATTERY MANAGEMENT USAGE AS OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY AND DELIVER IMPORTANT HIGH QUALITY GRID SERVICES AT TIMES OF GREATEST NEED.
THAT MEANS THAT RATHER THAN TARGETING THESE TWO PEAK PERIODS IN JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER, WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT PROGRAMS THAT ENCOURAGE, UM, HOW DO WE ACCESS THESE PROGRAMS AT TIMES WHEN A, THE GRID NEEDS THEM FOR, UH, STRESS MANAGEMENT B, WHEN WE NEED THEM FOR CITY OF AUSTIN CONGESTION, COST REDUCTION, AND, UM, C HOW DO WE REDUCE OUR COSTS OVERALL? AND, AND, UH, ALSO,
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AND SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS MEAN WE SHOULD NOT BE SETTING UP, UM, SILLY TIME RESTRICTIONS, BUT WE SHOULD BE TAR DESIGNING PROGRAMS SO THAT THEY PROTECT CUSTOMERS INTERESTS WHILE GIVING THE CITY THAT THE UTILITY SIGNIFICANT FLEXIBILITY TO, TO ACCESS BATTERIES AND CHARGING AT TIMES WHEN IT'S BENEFICIAL FOR AUSTIN'S GRID COSTS AND GRID MANAGEMENT.AND FOR ERCOT AS A WHOLE, A LOT OF THOSE TIMES ARE IN, UM, SHOULDER SEASON, WHICH MEANS MARCH, APRIL, MAY AND OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WHEN WE HAVE A LOT OF TRANSMISSION LINES DOWN FOR MANAGEMENT.
AND WHEN WE HAVE, UM, WEIRD STUFF GOING ON WITH WEATHER OR WITH POWER PLANT MAINTENANCE AND ALL OF THOSE CAUSE WEIRD BEHAVIOR AND ON THE GRID THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUFFER BY HAVING ACCESS TO, TO CHARGING AND TO BATTERIES.
WE SHOULD ALSO BE USING, UM, EV CHARGING TO SOAK UP EXCESS SOLAR RATHER THAN JUST SAYING, WE CAN PUT IT OFF UNTIL SOAKING UP WIND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BECAUSE, UM, WE NEED TO GO, WE HAVE ENOUGH PV WHERE IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO WHAT OUR GRID CAN ABSORB.
AND THE MORE THAT WE CAN SOAK THAT UP DOWN AT THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, THE BETTER OFF WE ARE IN TERMS OF TRANSMISSION CONGESTION COSTS AND, AND CITY OF AUSTIN VOLTAGE MANAGEMENT COSTS.
UM, LAST, I THINK THIS IS THE KIND OF, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT BEST IN CLASS PROGRAMS LIKE OCTOPUS AND POWERWALL AND OTHERS, AND VIEWING THEM AS THE COMPETITION, NOT AS IRRELEVANT BECAUSE THEY'RE OUTSIDE OUR SERVICE AREA.
OUR CUSTOMERS DESERVE EQUAL QUALITY PROGRAMS AND COMPENSATION TO WHAT OUR, UM, COUNTERPARTS IN ERCOT ARE OFFERING AND RECEIVING.
AND THOSE SHOULD BE REALLY HIGH QUALITY DESIGNS THAT WE ARE EMULATING NOT IGNORING.
AND I ENCOURAGE OUR, UM, FRIENDS ON CITY STAFF TO DO THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS AND TO BRING US A SET OF PROGRAM DESIGNS THAT ARE OF THIS QUALITY AND UNDER AND, AND, AND BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF THIS LEVEL OF, OF ANALYSIS.
DO YOU HAVE A RESPONSE THAT, YEAH.
I, I THINK, UM, THE IDEA AROUND EV CHARGING, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY HEARING AUSTRALIA IS NOW OFFERING THREE HOURS OF FREE POWER EVERY DAY TO ALL OF ITS RESIDENTS.
AND SO THINKING AROUND THAT, LIKE HOW, YOU KNOW, LOOKING INTO HOW, HOW OFTEN IS THE GRID BEING CURTAILED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND IS LIKE FREE EV CHARGING FROM, YOU KNOW, 11 TO TWO IN THE SUMMER MONTHS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S WAYS TO LEAN INTO THOSE THINGS AND REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST AS AN INCENTIVE, BUT REALLY TO PUSH HARD ON THESE.
AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU SAID, UH, MAKE AUSTIN A LEADER IN THIS SPACE IS, IS EXCITING.
YOU KNOW, VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, UH, YOU'RE MUTED.
TWO COMMENTS TO WHAT COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN SAID.
UH, FIRST WHY DON'T YOU TELL HIM WHAT YOU REALLY THINK? UH, SECOND, UM, I'M JUST, I, I, UH, LIKE THE IDEA OF, UH, CONSTANT, UH, INCENTIVES RATHER THAN JUST FOR PEAK USE, BUT HOW DO YOU ALERT PEOPLE WITH ENOUGH ADVANCE? UH, I MEAN, IF IF SOMEONE IS USED TO CHARGING AT NIGHT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF SURPLUS SOLAR ENERGY, UH, THEY WOULD NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH NOTICE SO THAT THEY COULD CHANGE THEIR PATTERN.
HOW WOULD THAT BE DONE? I MEAN, I, I, GO AHEAD.
UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE, PEOPLE WHO DRIVE EVS TEND TO BE A PRETTY WELL CONNECTED AND PRETTY IN TERMS OF THEIR, THEIR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT.
AND THEY TEND TO BE PRETTY FLEXIBLE AND, AND WELL EDUCATED.
[00:30:01]
TELL THEM, HEY, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU, UM, LET'S CHANGE YOUR CHARGING PATTERN, AND HERE'S THE INCENTIVE I'M GONNA GIVE YOU.AND IN THE WHOLE POINT OF DOING THIS IS TO, TO LEVERAGE AUTOMATION.
RATHER THAN HAVING PEOPLE GO OUT AND HAVE TO, TO, TO CHANGE WHAT THEIR CHARGER IS DOING, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CREATE SOFTWARE THAT ESSENTIALLY FLIPS A DIGITAL SWITCH AND CHANGES THE CHARGING PATTERN.
AND PEOPLE CAN BE GIVEN THE OPTION TO SET UP A, AN OVERRIDE.
THEY CAN BE GIVEN TEXT NOTIFICATIONS, THEY CAN, THEY CAN HAVE A PRICE TRIGGER OR THEY CAN HAVE A DEFAULT WITH THE, UM, AS WE DO WITH A DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM THAT SAYS, I'M GONNA SHIFT YOUR THERMOSTAT.
BUT, UM, IF YOU ARE HAVING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE OVER OR SOMETHING IS GOING ON, THAT CHANGES YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE.
THERE'S A, A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN DO THIS DIGITALLY THAT DON'T REQUIRE INDIVIDUALS TO PAY ATTENTION EVERY FIVE MINUTES TO WHAT THEIR CHARGING PATTERN IS AND, AND TO ACTIVELY, PERSONALLY INTERVENE TO CHANGE THAT.
SO, AND THESE ARE BEING DONE ELSEWHERE BY PROGRAMS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, THAT AUSTIN HAS TO INVENT.
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS COPY FROM THE BEST, UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO SAY LIKE, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER FARMER.
I THINK THIS IS ALL REALLY INCREDIBLE RESEARCH AND, UM, I THINK, YEAH, I THINK A BIG THING IS PUSHING AE TO SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GETTING INVESTMENT.
YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY FISCAL INVESTMENT, BUT LIKE PERSONAL BUY-IN FROM PEOPLE IN AUSTIN THAT, UH, THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO, LIKE THE SAFETY OF THE GRID.
I THINK THE GRID IS SO, UH, SALIENT TO PEOPLE.
AND RIGHT NOW, CLEARLY THIS IS ANY, BOTH THE EV LIKE CHARGING AND HOME BATTERY SYSTEM IS HOME BATTERY SYSTEMS ARE SIMPLY, YOU KNOW, PURCHASED BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT INSURANCE FOR THEIR, LIKE, OWN HOMES, RIGHT? AND IT'S CLEARLY LIKE PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD TO DO THIS ARE, ARE, ARE PURCHASING IT, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK LIKE THIS COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AE TO START LIKE A, YOU KNOW, A CAMPAIGN OR SOMETHING TO, TO CALL FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL INVESTED IN THEIR, IN THEIR UTILITY.
I THINK LIKE WE ARE ALSO REALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW IF I LOVE ALL THE WAYMO'S RUNNING AROUND TOWN, BUT I THINK LIKE THERE'S ALREADY A LOT OF LIKE, BASE FOR, UH, THE, FOR AE TO LIKE WORK WITH WAYMO OR GOOGLE OR LIKE TESLA EVEN WHO HAVE ALL OF THESE, UH, EVS RUNNING AROUND THAT COULD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GET THIS THING JUMP STARTED.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S LIKE A START.
LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE START, BUT I THINK IT, IT IS LIKE A CLEAR, LIKE, ALREADY LIKE AN, AN ADVANTAGE WE HAVE IN THE CITY TO DOING THIS.
AND SO I THINK LIKE, UM, THINKING BIG ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY INCREDIBLE FOR AE TO LIKE TURN THIS INTO SOME KIND OF WAY TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL ACTUALLY INVESTED IN THEIR UTILITY AND THINK THAT I HAVE A ROLE IN, UH, PROTECTING ME AND MY NEIGHBORS FROM THE NEXT, UH, CONGESTION.
NOT SIMPLY CONGESTION CHARGE, BUT UM, YOU KNOW, NATURAL DISASTER.
ANYTHING THAT, UH, RAISES THE BILLS FOR ME AND FOR WORK, THE WORKING CLASS OR FOR PEOPLE HARDEST HIT, I THINK, UM, THERE'S JUST LIKE, SO, AND THIS IS LIKE, SO THIS IS, IT'S SO CLEAR WHEN IT'S PUT LIKE THIS.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S SO MUCH LIKE NARRATIVE AND LIKE DISCURSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF RAISE THAT.
AND I THINK THAT CAN BE REALLY GOOD FOR THE PERSONAL BUY-IN FOR FOLKS, EVEN IF THERE'S STILL LIKE A LOT OF, UH, HURDLES IN TERMS OF FINANCE FOR PEOPLE IN AUSTIN.
SORRY, THAT WAS KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT THINKING LIKE VERY BROADLY ABOUT LIKE, HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE BOUGHT IN PSYCHOLOGICALLY, I GUESS.
UH, OTHER COMMENT? YES, FINCHER SCHWARTZ.
UH, JUST TO ECHO REALLY AWESOME WORK, IT'S, IT'S REALLY EYE-OPENING TO SEE THE COMP TABLES WITH THE OTHER UTILITIES.
I THINK IT'S REALLY HELPFUL FORMAT AND IT JUST KIND OF PUTS IN PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAMS AND WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY AT WITH IT.
I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, WHAT, IT'S A BENCHMARK STUDY THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR, SORT OF, IS THAT SORT OF A MORE FORMALIZED VERSION OF WHAT YOU DID WITH THIS? OR LIKE A ANALYSIS OF WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES WOULD BE FOR THE UTILITY? YEAH, I THINK THE, I GUESS NOT KNOWING, I THINK THE BENCHMARKING WAS A WAY OF JUST SAYING LIKE, LET'S BE LEADERS IN THIS INSTEAD OF LAGGARDS WITHOUT TRYING TO GET TOO INTO THE WEEDS.
AND ALSO I THINK PART OF THE REASON FOR ALL SHOWING ALL THOSE COMPS WAS LIKE, THERE ARE LIKE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF EXAMPLES OF THIS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
[00:35:01]
SO IT'S NOT LIKE A THING THAT WE NECESSARILY HAVE TO INVENT.YOU KNOW, I THINK TO, UM, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN'S POINT ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, LIKE REAL TIME, LIKE YOU PLUG IN YOUR CAR AND THEN IT CHARGES WHEN THE, YOU KNOW, MARKET OR AUSTIN ENERGY TELLS IT TO, RATHER THAN, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE AT A SET POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S JUST, IT'S SUCH LIKE AN EXCITING SPACE, LIKE WITHIN THE ENERGY TRANSITION THAT IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING WE CAN, OR AUSTIN ENERGY COULD REALLY SPEND SOME TIME LIKE TAKING INTO AND SEEING WHAT WORKS AND THEN MAPPING THAT ONTO OUR LOCAL, UH, YOU KNOW, LOCAL ARRANGEMENT OR NEEDS, UH, AND THEN REALLY TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE EXPERIMENT ON THE EDGES OF IT OR SEE IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT'S NOT A THING THAT IT'S JUST LIKE THEY NEED TO NECESSARILY JUST SORT OF START FROM SCRATCH WITH MM-HMM
THIS IS KIND OF A MORE PRACTICAL QUESTION, BUT DO WE KNOW IF THE UTILITY HAS SORT OF LOCKED ITSELF INTO CONTRACTS AROUND THIS STUFF ALREADY? THESE THINGS THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT LAST MONTH? IS THAT LIKE, UH, AN ASSIGNED AGREEMENT OR, I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDED LIKE THE STUFF, THE, THE PILOT PROGRAM.
SO AGAIN, LIKE THIS IS ALL, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE HAD A COMM CHAIR, DAVIS AND I HAD A MEETING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF, UH, BETWEEN THIS MEETING AND LAST, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE ENCOURAGING US TO SET UP A WORKING GROUP TO LIKE REALLY HASH THROUGH THIS STUFF WITH 'EM, YOU KNOW, IN LIKE A LONGER FORMAT THAN THESE MEETINGS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AND ALSO LIKE, MAYBE THERE ISN'T A RESOLUTION NEEDED, MAYBE IT'S LIKE WE CAN JUST WORK WITH THEM MM-HMM.
AND SORT OF LIKE FIGURE OUT WHAT PRIORITIES ARE, AND THERE CAN ACTUALLY BE MODIFICATIONS BE MADE.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE THESE THINGS ARE STILL PRETTY FLEXIBLE AND ONGOING, SMALL ENOUGH THAT COOL.
UM, IT'S NOT, THEY'RE NOT LOCKED IN.
AGAIN, WE, I GUESS WE'LL FIND OUT MORE IN THE MORNING.
UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED.
I, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WHAT COMMISSIONER FARMER HAS GIVEN US WITH THIS VERY NICE PIECE OF ANALYSIS IS ONLY HALF OF THE JOB.
THIS SHOWS US THAT THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS, MANY MORE THAN HE DEMONSTRATES HERE.
THAT CAN BE USED AS EXAMPLES OF HOW ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS COULD BE PRE DESIGNED AND PRESENTED TO CUSTOMERS.
BUT WHAT HE HASN'T TRIED TO DO THAT IS THE NEXT STEP THAT I WANT TO SEE AUSTIN ENERGY DO IS SHOW US THE MATH FOR WHAT ARE ALL OF THE GRID SERVICES AND BENEFITS THAT THESE PROGRAMS COULD DELIVER FOR AUSTIN ENERGY, INCLUDING REDUCTION OF WHAT WE PAY FOR ELECTRICITY IN THE MARKET, WHAT WE'RE PAYING FOR CONGESTION COSTS, OFFSETTING, UM, RESERVES, IMPROVING RESILIENCE, CREATING MORE FLEXIBILITY.
LOCATIONALLY, THERE'S A WHOLE TON OF THINGS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY COULD BE DOING WITH THIS PROGRAM THAT FOLKS IN ELSEWHERE IN ERCOT WITH BETTER BATTERY AND EV PROGRAMS ARE DOING EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND THEY'RE MAKING A TON OF MONEY DOING IT, AND THEY ARE SHARING THOSE FUNDS.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY MAKING A TON OF MONEY, THEIR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING OR MAKING A TON OF MONEY.
AND, AND WHAT THAT TELLS US IS THIS ISN'T JUST A, THIS SHOULDN'T BE VIEWED AS JUST A TOKEN.
LET'S DO SOMETHING GREEN PROGRAM.
THIS IS A, HOW DO WE SAVE A BUNDLE OF MONEY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN WAYS THAT IMPROVE REDUCE RATES, IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY, IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY, AND TAKE OUR RESOURCES FARTHER BY LEVERAGING MONEY THAT OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE ALREADY SPENT.
WHICH BY THE WAY, MEANS WE SHOULD BE PAYING CUSTOMERS WHO ALREADY HAVE BATTERIES TO USE THOSE, NOT JUST SETTING UP SUBSIDIES FOR PEOPLE WHO WANNA PUT IN BATTERIES TOMORROW.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE THE CITY OF AUSTIN DO THE KIND OF MATH THAT, UM, THEIR PEERS AT DAVID ENERGY AND, AND OCTOPUS AND OTHER PLACES HAVE ALREADY DONE ALSO GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER AND, AND A BUNCH OF THE PLACES THAT TRADE POINTS TO, WE NEED THAT KIND OF MATH USING AUSTIN ENERGY DOLLARS AND COSTS TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW GREAT THE BENEFITS FROM THIS PROGRAM COULD BE, THESE KINDS OF PROGRAMS, AND TO TAILOR THOSE IN TERMS OF THE SERVICES AND COSTS AND VALUE THAT THIS COULD DELIVER FOR AUSTIN.
AND THAT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER FARMER TACKLED, AND I DON'T BLAME HIM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD BE DOING BEFORE THEY BRING US A NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL.
UH, VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, YOU'RE MUTED.
[00:40:03]
PAUL, YOU'RE MUTED.I DO NOT BELIEVE I SELF MUTED THIS.
THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN DONE AUTOMATICALLY.
UH, IF THERE'S A WAY FOR THIS AUTOMATIC MUTE TO STOP, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT, UH, TO RESPOND.
UM, I REALIZE YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH TOMORROW, UH, BUT WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH IS ONLY PART OF A BIGGER ISSUE, WHICH IS, UM, THAT, UH, EV RATES, UH, AND EVEN SOLAR, UH, UH, WITH BATTERIES, UH, THERE, THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO BE INNOVATIVE.
UH, THERE IS TIME OF USE RATES, UH, JUST GENERALLY, IT, IT, IT REALLY BOTHERS ME THAT AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD GO TO SUCH LENGTHS AS TO CONTINUE TO RAISE RESIDENTIAL RATES, UH, SAYING THAT LOWER CONSUMPTION USERS ARE NOT PAYING ENOUGH.
BUT THEN WHEN IT COMES TO TIME OF USE RATES, WHICH THEORETICALLY ARE MARKET BASED, WELL THAT'S JUST NOT SUCH AN URGENT THING FOR THE UTILITY.
AND IF IT WERE JUST, YOU KNOW, A MATTER OF THIS YEAR, WELL, MAYBE YOU COULD SAY, WELL, THEY'RE TOO BUSY.
BUT THIS COMPLETE, UM, OVERLOOKING OF THIS STRATEGY HAS BEEN GOING, GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND I'M REALLY QUITE TIRED OF IT.
IF AUSTIN ENERGY IS GONNA SCREAM ABOUT MARKET-BASED RATES, THEN THEY NEED TO IMPLEMENT TIME OF USE RATES.
OTHERWISE, IT'S WELL, KIND OF HYPOCRITICAL.
UM, UH, I THINK A LOT OF EXCELLENT POINTS HAVE BEEN MADE, AND I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, TOPIC FOR US TO, TO REALLY PUSH ON.
AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE, UM, INFLUENCE OVER DESIGN OF, UH, MAYBE NOT LIKE SPECIFIC DESIGN, BUT KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIES AND, AND PUSHING FOR WHAT A PROGRAM COULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND I, I THINK THE WORKING GROUP IS A GREAT, UM, A GREAT STEP.
I THINK COLLABORATION IS IMPORTANT.
UM, I CERTAINLY WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS ARE CONCEIVED AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, POSSIBILITIES, UH, BEYOND JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST OUR IMMEDIATE AREA.
UM, AND THEN THE O THE OTHER THING THAT I DO ALSO WANT TO ENSURE IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION IS EQUITY.
UM, THERE MAY BE BLIND SPOTS, THERE MAY BE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT, UH, RELATED TO THIS, UM, IN TERMS OF HOW INCENTIVES GET, UM, YOU KNOW, GET CREATED AND DELIVERED AND WHO BENEFITS.
AND JUST, YOU KNOW, I I I, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I THINK IT, I, HAVING AN EQUITY LENS ON ANYTHING THAT WE, UM, THAT WE PUSH ON IS, IS GONNA BE AN IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE.
SO I JUST DON'T WANT US TO LOSE SIGHT OF THAT.
UM, COMMISSIONER COOK, I AGREE COMPLETELY.
AND I THINK ANOTHER THING THAT WE SHOULDN'T LOSE SIGHT OF IS KIND OF THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ASPECT OF THIS.
I THINK WHEN WE THINK OF, WHEN WE'RE ASKING AE TO, UH, DO A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS ANALYSIS OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS, I THINK WE SHOULD PUSH THEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND PUT FORWARD, LIKE UPDATED COST OF GAS AND OIL GIVEN THE WAR IN IRAN.
I MEAN, I THINK, UH, THE COST OF OIL AND GAS IS GOING TO STAY ELEVATED FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT LIKE FIVE YEARS ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT ESTIMATES.
AND THIS WAR IS STILL ONGOING.
AND I SEE THIS AS A WAY TO FUTURE PROOF THAT BECAUSE WE'RE LESS RELIANT ON THE GLOBAL, UH, COST OF OIL OR THE GLOBAL COST OF GAS, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, IS NOT IN CONTROL, IS NOT LIKE IN OUR CONTROL, RIGHT? AND I THINK, UH, DECENTRALIZED
[00:45:01]
DIFFERENT NODES OF BATTERIES ARE MUCH MORE IN OUR CONTROL AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SECURE.AND SO, JUST VERY CONCRETELY FOR THIS IS ASKING AE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR NUMBERS ARE AS UPDATED AS THEY CAN BE BECAUSE, UM, THIS IS BY EVERY DAY THIS IS BECOMING MORE COST, UH, COST EFFECTIVE.
YEAH, I THINK THE, ON THE, THE SORT OF INTERNATIONAL LANDS, LIKE, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN REALLY EXCITING, LIKE WATCHING THIS SPACE IS JUST SEEING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUSTRALIA WHERE THEY'RE AT LIKE 50% MARKET PENETRATION WITH RIPPED OFF SOLAR BECAUSE IT'S PAYS ITSELF OFF IN LIKE THREE OR FOUR MONTHS NOW BECAUSE THEY'VE BASICALLY BECOME A COMMODITY INSTEAD OF A SORT OF A PREMIUM.
UM, BUT WHERE THEY'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN PUSHING ON THIS STUFF FOR YEARS AND NOW HAVE FREE POWER FOR THREE OR FOUR HOURS A DAY.
AND SO THERE'S LIKE WHOLE INDUSTRIES CROPPING UP BECAUSE OF THIS.
AND IT'S A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO SOAK UP THAT ENERGY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE IT TAKES TIME TO GET THERE, BUT ALSO, LIKE THEY HAD A POWER PLANT GO DOWN LIKE LAST YEAR, AND THEY HAVE THIS MASSIVE VPP PROGRAM USING ALL THE BATTERIES, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO EASILY COVER THAT GRID, YOU KNOW, LIKE A HUGE HIT TO THE GRID USING THAT VPP.
SO I THINK IT'S LIKE, THERE'S THE KIND OF LIKE SHORT TERM EQUITY OF LIKE, HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, I TOTALLY, UH, WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT, RIGHT? THAT LIKE AUSTIN ENERGY IS TRYING TO KEEP COSTS DOWN FOR CUSTOMERS.
AND SO HOW IS IT THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ASKING THEM TO DO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT MAKE THINGS MORE EXPENSIVE IN THE NEAR TERM, BUT WITH THE IDEA THAT LIKE, THESE THINGS CREATE A VIRTUOUS CYCLE.
SO EVENTUALLY IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY BRING COSTS DOWN FOR CUSTOMERS ON THE GRID AS THE KIND OF CONGESTION AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE DUCK CURVE GETS SMOOTHED OUT.
UM, AND IT IS LIKE A REALLY INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, UH, PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN THE LIKE EQUITY AND THE CLIMATE GOALS OF THE CITY, RIGHT? AND IT'S LIKE SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, I I REFERENCE COMPARING TO THE OPEN MARKET A LOT ON HERE, RIGHT? 'CAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY CLOSE BY WHO HAVE BATTERIES WITH AN EIGHT OR 10 YEAR PAYBACK PERIOD, OR EVEN SHORTER, BUT THEIR ELECTRICITY BASELINE IS ACTUALLY MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OURS, RIGHT? AND SO THERE IS LIKE A, A NATURAL, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN AUSTIN, AUSTIN ENERGY, WE HAVE VERY INEXPENSIVE POWER HERE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY THAT'S A GOOD THING.
BUT IT IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.
'CAUSE IT MEANS THAT WHEN YOU'RE COMPARING IT TO THINGS AND THOSE PAYBACK PERIODS GET LONGER, UM, I THINK A COUPLE OTHER POINTS IS, ONE IS I THINK SIMILARLY, AS SOON AS YOU GET OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN ENERGY, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO BASE POWER AND OCTOPUS ENERGY AND TESLA POWER AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROVIDERS.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S LIKE A RESPONSIBILITY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY.
THEY, THEY HAVE A, A CAPTURED MARKET HERE, RIGHT? AND A MARKET THAT HAS ASKED FOR ALL OF THESE, YOU KNOW, FOR LOW CARBON AND, YOU KNOW, IS, IS FLAGGING THOSE AS THINGS, BUT THEN ARE NOT GIVING THE CONSUMERS THE AVAIL, THE, THE POSSIBILITY TO, TO MEET THOSE GOALS IN THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD IF THEY WERE ON THE OPEN MARKET NEXT DOOR.
UM, AND THEN SIMILARLY, I THINK LIKE WITH, WITH EVS, UH, I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ON EVS THERE.
BUT ANYWAY, I THINK IF ANYBODY WANTS TO COME JOIN US TOMORROW MORNING, UH, PLEASE DO.
AND I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SHIP THIS STUFF FORWARD AND CREATE THAT DEMAND.
IS THE MEETING VIRTUAL OR IS IT, I IT WILL BE, IS IN PERSON WITH VIRTUAL OPTION.
SO I THINK COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN WILL BE JOINING VIRTUALLY.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, UH, I'M, I'M PLANNING TO, BUT IF THERE ARE, UH, THREE OTHERS THAT WANT TO, I'M, IF THERE ARE THREE OTHERS THAT WANT TO, IF THERE ARE THREE OTHERS THAT WANT TO, I'M WILLING TO NOT ATTEND
UM, SOMEONE CAN SEND ME THE LINK HERE.
UH, VICE CHAIR ROBBINS, PLEASE UNMUTE AND SPEAK.
IT KEEPS REVERTING BACK TO MUTE AUTOMATICALLY.
UM, I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE AGAIN THAT I HOPE AT SOME POINT YOU'LL BRING UP TIME OF USE RATES, UH, AS ITS OWN TOPIC, RATHER THAN JUST HOW IT INTERFACES WITH EVS OR, UH, SOLAR BATTERIES.
UH, I, I DON'T, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'LL BE AN INTERESTING THING TO BRING UP TOMORROW MORNING.
[00:50:01]
'CAUSE IT IS, I THINK TIME OF USE IS ANOTHER WAY TO TACKLE ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? IS LIKE IF WE HAD REALLY AGGRESSIVE REAL TIME PRICING THAT THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MOST OTHER PLACES.UM, SO, SO YEAH, I THINK IF THAT, WHETHER THAT'S LIKE A SECOND LAYER ON TOP OF THESE OR, OR A SEPARATE ISSUE, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT I THINK AS ALL THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO, YOU KNOW, NOW CONSUMERS HAVE SO MANY TOOLS IN THEIR POCKET, AND, AND THERE'S, SO AS THINGS ELECTRIFY, IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT THAT, UH, WE'RE ALLOWED TO RESPOND TO MARKET SIGNALS.
BUT IF WE CAN'T HEAR THEM, THEN WE CAN'T RESPOND TO THEM.
UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, THANK YOU.
I AM A BIG FAN OF TIME OF USE RATES, BUT LET'S BE CLEAR THAT THEY DO A DIFFERENT THING IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE FOR AN EV PROGRAM AND A BATTERY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
AND THEY, UM, ARE HARD, DIFFICULT TO SET UP AND DIFFICULT TO EVALUATE AND TURN INTO A TOTAL TIME SINK THAT, THAT UTILITIES GET WRAPPED AROUND THE AXLE OF IT WILL BE SIGN, I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SAID, GET WRAPPED AROUND THE AXLE OF, I APOLOGIZE, BUT SETTING UP A GOOD TIME OF USE RATE IS CHALLENGING.
AND USUALLY PEOPLE DO IT BADLY AND THEN EXPLAIN THAT TIME OF USE RATES DON'T WORK, RATHER THAN THINKING THAT THEY SET UP A BAD TIME OF USE RATES AND GOT EXACTLY WHAT THEY DESERVED.
SO I SUPPORT GOING AHEAD AND PROPOSING A TIME OF USE RATE, BUT I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD AS QUICKLY AND AGGRESSIVELY AS WE CAN, ENCOURAGING HIGH QUALITY PV CHARGE MANAGEMENT AND BATTERY AND DEMAND RESPONSE USAGE AS DIFFERENT STANDALONE.
LET'S MAKE THESE SUCKERS WORK BECAUSE THEY AFFECT A SMALLER NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS.
YOU CAN DO THE MATH MORE EASILY ABOUT HOW THEY WILL BE IMPACTED OPERATORS LIKE THEM BETTER BECAUSE IT IS RELATIVELY MORE PREDICTABLE WHAT OUTCOME YOU'RE GONNA GET.
AND YOU CAN MEASURE THE BENEFITS IMMEDIATELY IN TERMS OF, I CHANGED THE, I CHANGED THE OPERATION.
I, I, I USE THE PROGRAM IN THIS WAY, AND I CAN TELL BY AN IMMEDIATE CHANGE IN THE BILLS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY PAYS WHAT THEIR IMPACT WAS.
SO, SO LET'S DO BOTH, BUT LET'S NOT TIE THEM SO CLOSELY TOGETHER THAT WE END UP DELAYING MANAGED CHARGING AND BATTERY PROGRAMS IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH TIME OF USE.
UH, I SAID FOR A FUTURE MEETING.
UM, DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER COMMENT? GO AHEAD.
UH, COMMISSIONER FARMER, DID YOU HAVE A, A RESPONSE TO? I, I, DIDN'T, I, UM, OKAY.
THE, THE EV PIECE THAT I WAS SKIPPING MY MIND WAS JUST, UM, THAT ONE THING I DIDN'T MENTION IN HERE IS THAT AT LEAST LIKE, TO MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S BEEN PUBLISHED ABOUT THE EV PROGRAM DOESN'T ADDRESS THE TIERED RATE STRUCTURE, WHICH I THINK IS SORT OF LIKE A SIMILARLY BACKWARDS THING WHERE IT'S LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE ELECTRIFICATION IN EVS, BUT THEN IT'S ADDING THIS HUGE AMOUNT OF POWER TO YOUR BILL AND PUTTING, SO TYPICALLY LIKE THAT EV IS IN THE HIGHEST TIER OF THE RATE.
AND SO THAT ISN'T ADDRESSED WITHIN THIS, THIS PROGRAM MM-HMM
AND SO IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY CUSTOMERS ARE GETTING PENALIZED FOR ELECTRIFY ELECTRIFICATION AND FOR EV ADOPTION.
VICE CHAIR ROBBINS UNMUTE PLEASE.
WOULD THE TECHNICIAN PLEASE STOP AUTOMATICALLY MUTING ME? UM, I, I KEEP NEGLECTING TO BRING UP THAT, UM, AUSTRALIA, THE WHOLE CONTINENT OF AUSTRALIA DOES INDEED HAVE GOOD, UM, INTERESTING PROGRAMS AND EXAMPLES.
AND I HAVE SAID PUBLICLY A COUPLE TIMES, UH, AT OUR MEETINGS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD TRY AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING THERE AND LEARN WHAT LESSONS THAT MIGHT BE APPLICABLE TO TEXAS TO, TO BRING THEM
[00:55:01]
HERE.UH, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT, WELL, WE DON'T WANT SOMEBODY TO TRAVEL THERE BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TOO CONTROVERSIAL.
IT WOULD BE SEEN AS TOO EXPENSIVE, EVEN THOUGH CITY EMPLOYEES DO INDEED TRAVEL INTERNATIONALLY ON BUSINESS.
BUT THEN PRESUMING I AGREED WITH THAT, WHAT'S TO STOP AUSTIN ENERGY EMPLOYEES FROM CALLING AUSTRALIA AND TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT LESSONS WE MIGHT LEARN FROM THE CONTINENT.
UM, I THINK WE'VE, UH, HAD A GOOD DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC.
UNLESS THERE'S ANY BURNING, UM, COMMENTS LEFT THAT PEOPLE WANNA MAKE, WE SHALL MOVE ON.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
TO THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. AND THERE'S A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF ITEMS, I THINK, UH, THAT WE'VE, WE WILL TALK ABOUT.THAT'S WHY OUR MEETING TODAY IS RELATIVELY SHORT.
UM, MS. GOODWIN, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WE HAVE ON FOR APRIL SO FAR? FOR APRIL, WE HAVE, UH, ELECTIONS FOR THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
UM, ALSO THE ITEM THAT WAS TABLED VALUE OF SOLAR AND THE SOCIAL COST OF CARBON COMPONENTS.
THAT'S ALL WE HAVE AT THIS TIME.
UM, SO AT THIS TIME, I WANTED TO TAKE THE COMMISSION'S TEMPERATURE.
OUR, OUR APRIL MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 21ST.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ON APRIL 24TH, ON OR ABOUT APRIL 24TH, THE DRAFT AGREEMENT FOR THE TEXAS GAS SERVICE FRANCHISE, UH, WILL BE MADE PUBLIC.
AND SO THERE'S A MAY 7TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING THAT IS GOING TO CONSTITUTE THE FIRST READING OF THAT.
UM, AND SO IF THIS BODY WANTS TO, UM, TAKE UP THAT, UH, DISCUSSION, UH, PRIOR TO THE, THAT MAY 7TH MEETING, WE COULD MOVE OUR APRIL 21ST MEETING.
SO, UM, THREE PEOPLE WOULD, WOULD NEED TO PROPOSE THAT, UM, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THIS BODY WANTS TO DO, I SEE TWO OOP.
SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK FOR AN ALTERNATE DATE.
WHAT WE WOULD DO IS MOVE THE 21ST, THE MEETING ON THE 21ST.
HOW DOES THE 28TH LOOK? THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY? YAY.
THAT'S A, SEEMS LIKE THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD OPTION FOR THE COMMISSION.
UM, I UNDERSTAND STAFF IS GONNA CHECK ROOM AVAILABILITY AND, UM, HOW DO WE FIND OUT IF WE CAN HAVE THAT DATE? UM, WE'LL GET A, OKAY, SO I'M JUST FOR, SO TOMORROW.
UM, AND IF THERE IS, UM, ALTERNATE DATES BETWEEN SAY THE 25TH AND THE SIXTH, UM, IF FOR WHATEVER REASON THE 28TH DOESN'T WORK, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
LET ME KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE SO WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE MOVED MEETING? NO, I ASSUMED WE'D ALREADY, YOU'D ALREADY NAILED THAT ONE THING.
FOR, FOR YOUR, YOUR INITIATIVE AND PROPOSING TO MOVE THAT SO WE CAN ADDRESS THE, THE TEXAS GAS GREAT CASE.
UM, I WANTED TO BRING UP A DIFFERENT TOPIC.
AND SEE WHAT THE, THE RMCS, UM, INTEREST IS IN ADDRESSING IT.
AND THIS IS THE TOPIC OF, UM, LONGER DURATION STORAGE AND ITS ROLE IN, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, THE, AND OUR RESOURCE PLANS.
WHEN ONLY A YEAR AGO WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE RE, A FEW OF US WERE WORKING WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION TO LOOK AT RESOURCE PLANS.
AUSTIN ENERGY WAS BUSY TELLING US THAT THERE WERE, UM, VERY FEW OPTIONS FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE, THAT IT WAS NOT COMPETITIVE AND WASN'T APPROPRIATE AS A RESOURCE, BUT BATTERY COSTS HAVE GONE DOWN SO QUICKLY THAT AND, AND BATTERY,
[01:00:01]
PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE CHANGE IN OIL AND GAS PRICES, THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING DOWN INTO THE CONTRARY, GOING UP LIKE CRAZY.AND THERE ARE, UM, NO LARGE, THEIR SUPPLY CHAIN PROBLEMS WITH TRANSFORMERS AND TURBINES AND TRANSMISSION, UM, SEEMS TO ME THAT LONG-TERM STORAGE AND THE USE OF SHORTER DURATION STORAGE AS A, AS WITH A LONGER DURATION STRATEGY HAVE BECOME EXTRAORDINARILY ECONOMIC AND ATTRACTIVE.
AND SO I WANTED TO SEE WHETHER OTHER, OUR COMMISSION IS INTERESTED IN REOPENING THAT TOPIC AND, UM, BRINGING TOGETHER SOME INFORMATION OR ASKING AUSTIN ENERGY TO REEXAMINE LONGER TERM DURATION BATTERIES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY OPERATIONS AND RESOURCE PLAN.
UH, LONGER DURATION STORAGE, UH, REVISITING THAT, UM, WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE TO REQUEST A STAFF BRIEFING ON THAT ITEM OR IS THIS MORE OF A DISCUSSION AMONG THE COMMISSION? UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE DANDY TO GET A, WELL, THE, THE, I DON'T JUST WANT A BRIEFING.
I WANT A BRIEFING THAT IS UP TO DATE USING THE LATEST INFORMATION AND, AND COST DATA RATHER THAN THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD THAT, THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST, WHICH TENDS TO BE, UM, HIGHLY CONSERVATIVE AND HIGHLY OUTDATED AND NOT PARTICULARLY HELPFUL.
LET'S, LET'S ASK, UM, THIS, WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE IS WE ASK, UH, STAFF FOR A, LIKE, FORMAL RESPONSE TO THAT, UM, THAT QUESTION.
I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ALL THE CHANGING DYNAMICS, UM, THAT, THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED.
UM, AND IT COULD BE A BRIEFING, IT COULD BE A, A FORMAL, YOU KNOW, A RESPONSE IN WRITING AND IT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT WE, UH, PUT ON FOR DISCUSSION FOR FUTURE MEETING.
UM, NOT COMMITTING TO APRIL, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, BUT LET'S ASK, LET'S DEFINITELY ASK FOR THAT.
I WILL BE, THIS IS NOT THE USUAL STAFF TEAM THAT WE DEAL WITH.
THIS IS MORE ON THE RESOURCE SIDE RATHER THAN THE, UM, CUSTOMER CONTACT SIDE.
SO WE ARE, WE MIGHT WANNA COORDINATE THIS WITH THE EUC FAIR AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT INITIATIVE IF OUR COLLEAGUES AGREE THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED.
SO I CAN'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ROOM.
ARE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS? YES.
UH, FIRST, UH, JUST TO CLARIFY SOMETHING, UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, UM, THE, UH, MEETING THAT WE MAY BE HAVING LATER IN APRIL IS ABOUT THE TEXAS GAS SERVICE FRANCHISE, NOT THE RATE CASE.
UM, UH, THEY, THEY'VE HAD RATE CASES SO OFTEN THAT IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP, BUT THIS IS ABOUT, THIS IS ABOUT THE FRANCHISE.
UH, REGARDING, UH, OTHER ITEMS I WANNA, UH, ASK COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, WHEN WE EXPLORE, UH, LONG-TERM STORAGE, WOULD THAT MEAN, UM, THIS ISN'T A LOADED QUESTION, WOULD THAT ALSO MEAN, UH, THERMAL STORAGE? BECAUSE, UH, IN, SO I RECENTLY, NOT TOO LONG AGO, I INTERVIEWED A COMPANY IN HOUSTON THAT MAKES THERMAL STORAGE FOR GROCERY STORE FREEZERS.
AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR HIM, BUT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T ASKED HIM, BUT IT'S AT LEAST PLAUSIBLE THAT IF HE'S IN AUSTIN, HE MIGHT WANNA SPEAK TO US.
UH, WOULD THIS BE OF INTEREST TO YOU, OR, UH, IS YOUR, UH, CONVERSATION THAT YOU WANNA HAVE MORE? UH, A MORPHOUS I AM DEEPLY INTERESTED IN, UM, THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE, BUT THE FOLKS AT AUSTIN ENERGY ON THE RESOURCE SIDE TEND TO THINK ONLY ABOUT BATTERIES.
SO, OR, OR THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, RUST POWERED OR, OR MAYBE GEOTHERMAL.
THEY'RE NOT PARTICULARLY INTERESTED.
I DON'T, IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO DATE ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE SITTING ON CUSTOMER ROOFTOPS OR, OR BEHIND A, A A A CUSTOMER REFRIGERATOR.
[01:05:01]
BUT YES, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT THAT.BUT I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A, I DON'T THINK IT'S QUITE THE SAME TOPIC AS, AS WHAT I WAS HOPING AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD TALK TO US ABOUT, WOULD, WOULD DIG INTO YEP.
AND VICE CHAIR ROBINS, IF YOU WANT, IF YOU WANT TO INVITE A GUEST SPEAKER LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD, I THINK THE COMMISSION WOULD BE DEFINITELY RECEPTIVE TO THAT.
AND, AND NOT THAT COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN DOESN'T KNOW THIS ALREADY, BUT WE DON'T WORK FOR AUSTIN ENERGY
UM, THE AUSTIN ENERGY IS CURRENTLY STARTING A REVIEW OF ITS GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM FOR SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY DWELLINGS.
I BELIEVE THEY'RE ASKING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE MONTH OF MAY.
AND I THINK, UM, OUR COMMISSION SHOULD BE ONE OF ITS FIRST STOPS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO PLACE THAT ON THE AGENDA.
AND THAT WOULD BE FOR ASKING A REPRESENTATIVE FROM GREEN BUILDING TO COME TO THE RMC MEETING.
AND ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE THIS SHORT, BUT OUR COMMISSION ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY PASSED A RESOLUTION SOME TIME AGO TO RESTRUCTURE THE GREEN CHOICE PROGRAM.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO BRING THAT BACK UP.
UM, THERE WERE INHERENT DELAYS BECAUSE OF, UH, PRICING THAT WAS SET IN THE COMMERCIAL PROGRAM, AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT HAS PRETTY MUCH WORKED ITSELF OUT NOW, OR IS ABOUT TO WORK ITSELF OUT NOW.
SO I THINK THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO BRING THIS BACK UP AND BRING THIS AGAIN, BRING THIS BACK TO CITY COUNCIL.
I HAVE, UH, THE ONLY OTHER THINGS THAT I HAD ON MY LIST WERE, UM, THE WATER USAGE, UH, PROJECTIONS FROM AUSTIN WATER AROUND DATA CENTERS.
UM, I KNOW THERE WAS A, A MEMO THAT WAS PUT OUT IN DECEMBER ABOUT, UM, LOOKING AT DATA CENTERS IN CENTRAL TEXAS AND THEIR IMPACT ON, UH, ALL THINGS IN THE CITY.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, IDENTIFIED DATA CENTER WATER USE ALMOST DOUBLED BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024.
HAVEN'T SEEN THE 2025 FIGURES, BUT I'M QUITE CONFIDENT THAT THOSE HAVE PROBABLY INCREASED AGAIN.
UM, SO SOMETHING I GUESS KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THE, THE IMPLICATIONS OF WATER USAGE AND FRANKLY, I GUESS, UM, ELECTRICITY DEMAND FROM DATA CENTERS IN, IN THE REGION.
AND I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, YOU HAD, YOU HAD REQUESTED THAT BEFORE.
THE OTHER ONE IS, UH, I THINK I MENTIONED EARLIER, SOLAR STANDARD OFFER BRIEFING, UM, AND THE, UH, DISTRICT ENERGY AND COOLING.
DO YOU HAVE YET ANOTHER
WE WILL TALK ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN APRIL VERSUS WHAT CAN, CAN PUSH.
UM, BUT YEAH, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY, ANY OTHER PRESSING THINGS? OKAY.
IF NOT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
UH, IT IS 7:16 PM THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.