Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
7:00 pm
Cupertino Community Hall
10350 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA
Pursuant to State of California Gov’t Code Section 54953 (e) the meeting was conducted via teleconference with an option for members of the Board of Directors and staff to participate in person.
MEETING MINUTES
Call to Order:
Chair Tyson called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
Roll Call
Present:
George Tyson (Chair), Los Altos Hills
Tina Walia (Vice Chair), Saratoga
Elliot Scozzola, Campbell
Sheila Mohan, Cupertino
Zachary Hilton, Gilroy
Sally Meadows, Los Altos
Rob Moore, Los Gatos
Evelyn Chua, Milpitas
Bryan Mekechuk, Monte Sereno
Yvonne Martinez Beltran, Morgan Hill
Pat Showalter, Mountain View
Larry Klein, Sunnyvale
Otto Lee, Santa Clara County
Absent:
None.
Chair Tyson, Vice Chair Walia, Director Martinez Beltran, Director Klein, Director Mekechuk, Director Mohan, Director Rennie, Director Showalter and Director Scozzola attended in person; all other Directors attended via teleconference.
Public Comment on Matters Not Listed on the Agenda
No speakers.
Consent Calendar
There were no questions or comments from the Board; there were no requests from the public to speak on any matter on the Consent Calendar.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5CC90818-E9BC-49F5-8278-E926BFC13A3C
1a) Approve Minutes of the January 11, 2023, Board of Directors Meeting 1b) Receive December 2022 Treasurer Report
1c) Adopt Resolution Authorizing Public Meetings to Continue to Be Held Via Teleconferencing Pursuant to Government Code Section 54953(e) and Making Findings 1d) Approve 2023 Updates to Exhibit C, Annual Energy Use, and Exhibit D, Voting Shares, of the SVCE Joint Powers Agreement
1e) Approve Cancellation of July 12, 2023 Board of Directors Meeting and Receive 2023 Board of Directors Regular Meeting Schedule
1f) Approve $2,092,248 in Funding Allocation for Community Electrification Engagement and Demonstration Programs
1g) Executive Committee Report
1h) California Community Power Report
1i) Additional Committee Reports
MOTION: Director Martinez Beltran moved and Director Klein seconded the motion to approve the Consent Calendar, Items 1a through 1i.
The motion carried unanimously by verbal roll call vote.
Regular Calendar
2) CEO Report (Discussion)
CEO Girish Balachandran addressed the following topics in his report:
1) 2021 GHG emissions inventory update ;
2) Review of 2023 Strategic Focus Areas and thoughts of keeping these focus areas beyond 2023; 3) 2022 Community Impact Reports;
4) Buying capacity to maintain reliability and potential penalties; and 5) CPUC proposed decision to purchase 4,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2027 and 2028, and the federal government completed leasing ocean space off of Morro Bay and Humboldt to develop offshore wind.
CEO Balachandran and staff responded to board member questions.
Chair Tyson opened Public Comment.
No speakers.
Chair Tyson closed Public Comment.
Following Item 2, Chair Tyson announced a request from Director Mekechuk to change his vote on the Consent Calendar for Item 1f. General Counsel Lindsay Thorson suggested the roll call vote for the Consent Calendar be redone and any member requesting an abstention leave the room for that vote.
Director Mekechuk left the room for the re-vote on the Consent Calendar item, and announced he would be abstaining from Item 1f due to a professional conflict as a CPA with voting on a transaction in which Monte Sereno has an interest in. Director Mekechuk noted his vote would be in favor for the other items on the Consent Calendar.
MOTION: Director Martinez Beltran moved and Director Klein seconded the motion to approve the Consent Calendar, Items 1a through 1i.
The motion carried by verbal roll call vote with an abstention on Item 1f by Director Mekechuk.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5CC90818-E9BC-49F5-8278-E926BFC13A3C
3) Appoint 2023 Board Committee Members (Action)
Board Clerk Andrea Pizano presented the proposed committee makeup for the 2023 Legislative Ad Hoc Committee, 2023 Finance and Administration Committee, and 2023 Audit Committee based on responses received from interested board members and member agency staff. Director Klein commented on his interested in joining the 2023 Legislative Ad Hoc Committee.
Chair Tyson opened Public Comment.
No speakers.
Chair Tyson closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Director Mekechuk moved and Director Martinez Beltran seconded the motion to appoint the following members to SVCE’s committees:
2023 Legislative Ad Hoc Committee
1. Dir. Elliot Scozzola, Campbell
2. Dir. Zach Hilton, Gilroy
3. Dir. Bryan Mekechuk, Monte Sereno
4. Dir. Yvonne Martinez Beltran, Morgan Hill
5. Dir. Margaret Abe-Koga, Mountain View
6. Dir. Larry Klein, Sunnyvale
Audit Committee
1. Alt. Dir. Sergio Lopez, Campbell
2. Dir. Sheila Mohan, Cupertino
3. Dir. Bryan Mekechuk, Monte Sereno
4. Alt. Dir. Murali Srinivasan, Sunnyvale
5. Harjot Sangha, Finance Director, Gilroy *nominated by Dir. Zach Hilton Finance and Administration Committee
1. Dir. Elliot Scozzola, Campbell
2. Alt. Dir. Hung Wei, Cupertino
3. Dir. Sally Meadows, Los Altos
4. Dir. Margaret Abe-Koga, Mountain View
5. Dir. Tina Walia, Saratoga
The motion carried unanimously by verbal roll call vote.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5CC90818-E9BC-49F5-8278-E926BFC13A3C
4) New Construction Reach Code Recap (Presentation)
Zoe Elizabeth, Deputy Director of Decarbonization Programs and Policy, presented a PowerPoint presentation providing a recap of the 2023 reach code initiative results and introduced next steps for building electrification efforts.
Alternate Director Showalter thanked member agency staff and community advocates, specifically Carbon Free Mountain View and Carbon Free Silicon Valley, for their leadership and advocacy.
Chair Tyson opened Public Comment.
No speakers.
Chair Tyson closed Public Comment.
5) Reliability Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies (Presentation) CEO Balachandran introduced the item; Monica Padilla, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Director of Power Resources, and Charles Grinstead, Senior Manager of Power Resources, presented an informational update on:
1) California’s clean goals and reliability;
2) Challenges;
3) SVCE’s portfolio, procurement and progress efforts; and 4) New opportunities and strategies.
Staff responded to board member questions regarding: long-term and short-term products, adverse weather scenario planning and planning reserve margin, resource price vs. value, the California Independent System Operator grid, siting resources, reselling excess capacity, comparison between the embedded carbon in a battery electric vehicle versus a traditional gas vehicle, other projects using new emerging technologies, a strategic question regarding remaining carbon-free, competition with the Pacific Northwest, penalties,
Director Klein requested staff forward a summary of proposals received from the 2020 California Community Power joint long duration storage request for offers for education purposes.
Chair Tyson opened Public Comment.
Bruce Karney, Chair of Carbon Free Mountain View, commented on his support for SVCE staff, noting he produces an annual report that compares the cost and greenness of all CCAs in Northern California against each other, PG&E, and the California grid as a whole, and only four CCAs are currently greener than PG&E (PCE, SVCE, CleanPowerSF, and MCE). Mr. Karney commented on the benefits of battery storage and its connection to the virtual power plant concept, and commented better insulation and better windows can help reduce peak demand on which the 15% adequacy reserve is based.
Chair Tyson closed Public Comment.
Board Member Announcements and Future Agenda Items
No comments.
Adjourn
Chair Tyson adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m.
ATTEST:
_____________________________
Andrea Pizano, Board Secretary
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5CC90818-E9BC-49F5-8278-E926BFC13A3C