Item 10
VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
Staff Report – Item 10
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Edward Burnham, Chief Financial Officer
SUBJECT: Summary of VCE Grant Activity
DATE: April 10, 2025
This informational report summarizes VCE’s grant participation activities as of March 31, 2025.
VCE Awarded Grants & External Funded Programs - In-Progress
1. Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) - EV Charger installations (“Electrify Yolo” project).
This $2.9 million grant was awarded in December 2018 and is for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure within Yolo County. VCE was awarded the grant in cooperation with Yolo County and the cities of Davis and Woodland. VCE coordinated with the City of Winters to get additional charging infrastructure installed there. VCE is near completion of the installation of the charging stations in partnership with member jurisdictions. VCE received a grant extension expiring December 31, 2024 and fulfilled its requirements for the grant. The City of Davis on behalf of “Electrify Yolo” is requested an additional one-year extension for the grant deadline to December 31, 2025. Winters completed their SACOG project by installing (3) Level 2 double chargers capable of charging 6 vehicles at the same time, and one fast charger. Woodland installed (4) Level 2 chargers. Yolo County has installed (6) Level 2 double chargers, with an additional 5 expected soon. Davis installed (2) mobile chargers and purchased (1) electric passenger van, meeting two of the four SACOG goals. Davis has also installed (1) level 2 charger (for the van).
2. Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals (REDWDS) - California Energy Commission (CEC)
The California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Clean Transportation Program grant provides up to $9 million in grant funds to accelerate the development and deployment of easy-to-use charging products which help customers manage electric vehicle (EV) charging and respond to dynamic grid signals. Up to $300 million in additional grant funds may be available in the future to complete a second phase of work for agreements initially awarded funding under this solicitation. VCE in partnership with Monarch Tractor and GridTractor has been provisionally approved for $337,500 to provide bidirectional electric tractors using dynamic rates similar to the the AgFIT program. The REACT (Rural Electrification and Charging Technology) VCE Pilot has been kicked off. VCE has set up several meetings with other CCAs, helping some to potentially Item 9
2 implement the program with customers. VCE has also conducted direct customer outreach to recruit customers, both farmers and member jurisdictions. The Hourly Flex Pricing (HFP) Pilot #1 (AgFIT expansion) has been set up so that REACT customers can sign up for a dynamic rate.
3. California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - Agricultural Flexible Irrigation Technology (AgFIT).
Launched in 2022, VCE’s AgFIT supports local growers in decreasing energy usage and costs and VCE was awarded $4.2 million. In partnership with Polaris Energy Services and TeMix, the program provides incentives for irrigation automation and leverages software to help agricultural customers manage energy costs while providing maximum flexibility. The system gives agricultural customers visibility into energy prices a week ahead to help schedule irrigation for when energy costs (and other demands on the grid) are lowest. This program continues to evolve and gain participation. While the pilot is technically complete, data issues and other barriers delayed the final evaluation and the final set of shadow bills and checks to customers. VCE is currently working with pilot partners and the evaluator to finalize pilot tasks. Pilot participants are being recruited to join the HFP pilot #1.
4. County of Yolo American Rescue Plan (ARP) - Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach (ERRO)
Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach program to encourage low-income households to access a portion of $1B in state electrification rebates. Yolo County has partnered and awarded VCE with $100,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to VCE for execution.
ERRO launch was completed in 2024; however, since there were delays in launching the Electric Advisor program, Yolo County is waiting to submit impacts (number of customers affected, number of efficiency upgrades taken, etc.) until mid-2025. As of April 2025, there are 36 Electric Advisor customer cases. Customers are mostly interested in heat pumps (space and water heating). Yolo County is planning to give out ERRO fliers with its weatherization kits in mid-2025.
5. California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - AgFIT (Expanded Pilots #1 and 2) Pilot #1 is similar to the original AgFIT Pilot and is geared toward ag customers. It is administered by VCE in VCE territory. Pilot #2 has more eligible customer classes, including residential. It is administered by PG&E. The Hourly Flex Pricing (HFP) Pilots #1 and 2 are both operational and enrolling customers. VCE is having semi-monthly meetings with PG&E and other CCAs on pilot implementation. As of April 2025, there are 6 customer accounts signed up for HFP Pilot #1, and several more interested. PG&E has enrolled almost 45MW of their target 50MW in Pilot #1, and may need to pause enrollments to staff up.