Item 3
1 VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
Staff Report – Item 3
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Alisa Lembke, Board Clerk / Administrative Analyst SUBJECT: Approval of Minutes from November 9, 2023 meeting DATE: December 14, 2023
RECOMMENDATION
Receive, review and approve the attached November 9, 2023 meeting Minutes.
Attachment: 11/9/23 meeting Minutes
VCEA Minutes November 9, 2023 Board Meeting Page 1 of 4
MINUTES OF THE VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
The Board of Directors of the Valley Clean Energy Alliance duly noticed their regular meeting for Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. to be held at City of Woodland Council Chambers located at 300 First Street, Woodland, California 95695. VCE Chair Tom Stallard stablished that there was a quorum present and began the meeting at 5:31 p.m.
Board Members Present: Tom Stallard, Lucas Frerichs, Jesse Loren, Mayra Vega (departed at 6:02 p.m.), Bapu Vaitla, Albert Vallecillo (Alternate – City of Winters), Will Arnold (arrived at 5:34 p.m.)
Members Absent: Mary Vixie Sandy, Richard Casavecchia
Welcome Chair Stallard welcomed the Board members. He announced that Yolo County Supervisor Mary Vixie Sandy was appointed to the VCE Board and plans on attending the December 2023 meeting.
Public Comment –
General and
Consent
Chair Stallard opened the floor for public comment on both the agenda and Consent agenda items. There were no verbal or written public comments.
Approval of
Consent Agenda /
Resolution 2023-
013
Motion made by Director Vega to approve the consent agenda items, seconded by Director Frerichs. There was no verbal or written public comments. Motion passed with Directors Sandy and Casavecchia absent. The following items were:
3. approved October 12, 2023 Board Special meeting;
4. received 2023 Long Range Calendar;
5. receive financial update: September 30, 2023 (unaudited) financial statement;
6. received September 2023 Regulatory update dated November 1, 2023 provided by Keyes & Fox;
7. received Community Advisory Committee October 26, 2023 meeting summary;
8. instructed Staff to proceed with the next steps to amend Valley Clean Energy’s Joint Powers Authority agreement and adopt a Board Compensation and Reimbursement Policy;
VCEA Minutes November 9, 2023 Board Meeting Page 2 of 4
9. ratified VCE’s participation/application in Electric Autonomous Tractor Swarms (EATS) grant as Resolution 2023-013; and,
10. approved the 2024 Legislative Platform.
Regular Agenda Chair Stallard announced that Item 12 – Net Energy Metering Policy/Net Billing Tariff (NBT) / Solar Billing Plan (SBP) will be addressed first prior to Item 11.
Item 12: Approve
VCE’s updated Net
Energy Metering
Policy in
consideration of
Net Billing Tariff
(NBT)/Solar Billing
Plan (SBP).
(Discussion/Action)
VCE Executive Officer Mitch Sears introduced this item. (Director Arnold arrived at 5:34 p.m.) VCE Director of Finance and Internal Operations Edward Burnham provided background information on Net Energy Metering (NEM) and the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) December 2022 decision to transition from the NEM program to a successor program known as the Net Bill Tariff (NBT) or Solar Billing Plan (SBP), with the goal of realigning compensation. Mr. Burnham explained how the new program (NBT/SBP) will affect 2.0 (“legacy”) and 3.0 (new) NEM customers.
The Board and Staff discussed: possible impacts of the Solar Billing Plan and battery storage; if there were any incentive programs for customers to install batteries; how to quantify electric vehicle charging usage; and, the OhmConnect program. There were no verbal or written public comments.
Motion made by Director Loren to: approve the draft update of the VCE Net Energy Metering Policy including:
1. maintain existing NEM rates for VCE Legacy NEM Customers (Pre-April 14, 2023);
2. adopt Net Billing Tariff/Solar Billing Plan for new VCE solar customers with an adder of $0.01/kWh for excess generation; and,
3. modify existing policy for distribution of net billing credits to customers.
This motion was seconded by Director Frerichs. Motion passed by the following votes:
AYES: Frerichs, Arnold, Loren, Vega, Vaitla, Vallecillo (Alt.), Stallard NOES: None
ABSENT: Vixie Sandy, Casavecchia
ABSTAIN: None
Item 11: Receive
2024 Operating
Mr. Burnham reviewed updates made to the draft 2024 operating budget and provided information on the multi-year forecast (2025 VCEA Minutes November 9, 2023 Board Meeting Page 3 of 4 Budget update.
(Information)
through 2027) in preparation for the 2024 Budget adoption and rate setting that will come before the Board at their December meeting. (Director Vega departed at 6:02 p.m.)
The Board and Staff discussed: VCE’s line of credit, load, power costs, available contracted power, cash reserves, Resource Adequacy (RA), VCE’s CARE/FERA customers, VCE’s rates, dividends, when to discuss adding more programs, expansion of VCE service territory, and, how VCE and Yolo County have been working together to try to assist targeted customers on energy efficiency within the home. There were no verbal or written public comments.
Item 13: Receive
information on
2022 Power
Content Label
outreach.
(Information)
Mr. Sears reviewed the background on the Power Content Label (PCL); explained that the information in the PCL reflects sources of energy and the associated emissions of greenhouse gases annually; reviewed VCE’s adopted multi-year approach to reaching 100% renewable by 2030; VCE’s annual Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS) position and outlook out to 2030; and reviewed VCE’s 2022 PCL in detail.
Verbal Public Comment: Christine Shewmaker provided a verbal comment on the renewables portfolio standards (RPS) percentages in 2023 and beyond being in line with Senate Bill 100; and, VCE’s transparency on emissions and goal of reaching 100% renewable by the year 2030.
The Board and Staff discussed: Resource Adequacy, how roof top solar is not counted towards VCE’s renewable portfolio, and, Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (Senate Bill 253) which requires large corporations to report and make public their emissions.
There were no written public comments.
Item 14: Board
Member and Staff
Announcements
Director Loren announced that the Salmon Festival held on Saturday, November 4th in Winters was a success with VCE participating by having a booth. She announced that the City of Winters has completed the installation of Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers at the Winters hotel – with the installation of chargers at the Winters Community Center, this completes their projects funded from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) “Electrify Yolo” grant.
VCEA Minutes November 9, 2023 Board Meeting Page 4 of 4 Chair Stallard announced that the City of Woodland recently adopted a policy to charge for the use of EV Chargers to be installed by and within the City.
Some Directors have heard that there have been issues with the reliability of EV Chargers working and not being maintained. Chair Stallard also announced that the Environmental Impact process has been completed for a research and technology park development within the City of Woodland.
Mr. Sears announced that Yolo County has scheduled an EV Charger “unveiling” event at the Mary Stephens Library in Davis on Monday, November 13th at 10 a.m. This project was funded with SACOG monies and is part of the Electrify Yolo project. He announced that at the CalCCA Board of Directors meeting it was announced that the Federal Agency that publishes an annual report on national renewable energy production, for the first time included CCA’s. Two (2) of the top (5) producers were CCA’s.
Announcement The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the City of Davis Community Chambers located at 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, California 95616. There being no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
Alisa M. Lembke
VCEA Board Secretary