RiversideCA.gov
PUBLIC BENEFITS &
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP
Meeting #3 – December 18, 2025
Welcome & Introductions
1. Recap of Meetings #1 and #2
2. Themes for today
•Review of Input
•Solar Costs and Benefits
•Need for Batteries
•Projects and Options
OBJECTIVE OF THE GROUP
Summer-Fall 2025
Working Group
Establishing
overall program
goals
Providing input
to help guide
detail analysis
and future
program
development
Fall 2025-Summer 2026
Consulting
Services
Detail program
analysis
Community
Survey
Summer 2026
A Way Forward
Conclude the
Analysis
Community &
Stakeholder
Meetings
Final Plan &
Strategy
Answer the question of what programs and activities does the community recommend RPU support with Public Benefit Funds and how RPU should spend down the accumulated $34 million in Public Benefit Funds The Community Working Group is intended to provide ideas, comments, express questions, and provide community
frameworks around how RPU’s Public Benefits Funds should be spent.
Final decisions on the expenditures, programs, structures, and budgets will be established by the RPU Board and City Council.
COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP = ADVISORY
Goals
1. Provide cost-beneficial energy
efficiency services to customers
2. Offer customers meaningful
information on the costs and benefits
of energy efficiency measures
3. Reduce market barriers to investments
in energy efficient products and
services
4. Create a sustainable and competitive
energy efficiency services market
PUBLIC BENEFIT FUND SOURCE OF AUTHORITY
Public Benefits funds were established in 1996 by Assembly Bill 1890 (AB 1890) Created a Non-bypassable Customer
Charge to provide for customer programs
1. Minimum charge of 2.85%
2. Residential and commercial customers
3. Average residential customer pays ~
$3.00 per month
4. Average commercial customer pays ~
$10.00 per month
5. RPU collects approximately $10 million
annually
Limited Use of the Funding
1. Cost effective demand side management to promote
energy efficiency and energy conservation
2. New investment in renewable energy resources and
technologies
3. Research, development, and demonstration programs
for the public interest to advance science or technology which is not adequately provided by competitive and
regulated markets
4. Services provided for low-income electricity customers, including, but not limited to, energy efficiency services, education, weatherization, and rate discounts
PUBLIC BENEFIT FUND ALLOWED SPENDING CATEGORIES
CLOSING THOUGHTS AND NEXT STEPS
Program Concepts RPU
Should Explore
• Battery storage
• A/C efficiency
• Direct installs more broadly
offered
Big Project /
Demonstration
• Demonstration house /
education center
• Solar
• Other?
Are there areas for
better communication
/ outreach /
education? Who
should we talk to?
Anything that you think
is missing or could be
done better
Presentation of
Outcomes to Board
and Council
Examples only
Questions and responses and topics raised during the first two meetings by the Working Group members
MAIN THEMES FROM MEETINGS OF WG
Non-Energy
Impacts (NEIs)
Benefits of
Energy
Efficiency
in comfort
and safety
How do customers
use electricity
Largest
energy
usage and
behavioral
changes
Desire to focus on
solar project
Focus on
solar and
investment
within the
City
Focus on customer
benefit
Keep
benefits to
customers
the main
focus
• Messaging should focus on comfort not just energy savings • Low-income customer programs are important, overview
• EE programs may focus on where energy is used most & be stackable • Benefits need to focus on customers – ensuring all RPU customers benefit
• RPU should seek energy independence
• Refund to customers interest earned on Public Benefits Fund • Focus on local renewable generation for the big project • Solar over Gage Canal
• Solar rooftops and canopies at City facilities (including replacing solar that is no longer working)
• Solar on warehouses/homes/parking/etc.
• What does RPU pay for solar contracts?
CONCEPTS DISCUSSED AT MEETINGS #1 & #2
7,975 Solar Installations
80,620 kW Capacity
Shining Cities 2022 Report
Riverside is a Solar Superstar
195 Watts/person (2021)
11th in the nation for most
installed capacity per person
Shining Cities 2022
RIVERSIDE HAS A LOT OF INSTALLED SOLAR
SOLAR & RENEWABLES IN RPU’S PORTFOLIO
Geothermal
27%
Solar 11%
Wind 1%
Large Hydro 1%
Nuclear 5%
Natural Gas 4%Coal
20%
Unspecified
Source from
Grid Power
31%
RPU 2024 Power Content Label45% Zero GHG Emitting
Sources
39% Renewable Sources
11%
Solar Sources
(not including self-
generation)
On track for 60% - 80% zero
GHG emitting resources
by 2030
• RPU’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) lists all existing generation projects/agreement that RPU has in its portfolio
• RPU forecasts contact prices in the IRP at $70 / MWh
• All in costs including receipt of all renewable and environmental credits and resource adequacy value (when specified)
• Older contracts were more expensive while new contracts may be lower price • Renewable intermittent contracts range from $59.30 / MWh for the term of the contract and include all resource adequacy value for recent wind resources (2019) to $88.25 / MWh with a 1.5% escalator and no resource adequacy for the local, Tequesquite Solar facility in Riverside (2014 agreement)
• Prices for all of RPU’s contracts are disclosed in the 2023 IRP
RENEWABLE RESOURCES CONTRACTS
RPU PEAK DEMAND & TEMPERATURE TRENDS
275 272 254 290 320
505
588 607 658
551
265 268
79 76 75
88 94
100 101 105
111
102
79 83
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
110
120
0 100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Temp (°F)
MW
Monthly Peak Load Monthly Peak Temp
A/C Load
RPU LOAD AFTER NETTING SOLAR ENERGY
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Load (MW)
Hour
RPU Diurnal Net Load Curves 2025
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Nov
OPPORTUNITY TO USE BATTERIES TO LOWER COSTS
-20.00
-10.00
0.00 10.00
20.00 30.00
40.00 50.00
60.00 70.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Price ($/MWh)
Hour
SP15 Energy Diurnal Price Curves 2025
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Nov
LOAD AFTER NETTING SOLAR ENERGY
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Load (MW)
Hour
RPU Diurnal Net Load Curves 2025
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Nov
Opportunity to
Shift Solar Generation
To morning and
evening hours
ENERGY STORAGE BENEFITS
Batteries Charging
during the middle of
the day
Batteries Discharging
during the evening &
through night
COSTS OF SOLAR BY TYPE (2025)
Residential PV
(flat-roof mount)
Commercial PV
(privately owned,
flat-roof mount)
Utility-Scale
(ground mounted,
one-axis tracking)
LCOE ($/MWh) $89-$97 $58-$65 $25-$29
CAPEX ($/kW) $2,436-$2,636 $1,311-$1,750 $1,456-$1,540
Fixed O&M
($/kW-yr)
$28-$30 $18-$19 $21-$26
Capacity Factor 0.17-0.172 0.17-0.179 0.26 – 0.27
Pricing declines through
2031 with increases due to
loss of tax credits in 2035,
then pricing declines
each year following
Pricing declines at varying
rates depending on
scenario and impacts of
tax credits
Prices continue to decline
to a point where some
scenarios have negative
energy costs post-2040
Source: https://atb.nrel.gov/electricity/2024b/utility-scale_pv COSTS OF BATTERIES BY TYPE (2025)
Residential
(Lithium Ion, 5kW,
12.5 kWh, 2.5 hour)
Commercial
(Lithium Ion, 4 hour)
Utility-Scale
(Lithium Ion, 4 hour)
CAPEX ($/kW) $2,580-$4,122 $1,542-$2,463 $1,391-$2,160
Fixed O&M
($/kW-yr)
$62-$99 $37-$59 $31-$50
Total CAPEX 5kW - $12,900 to
$20,610 +
permitting and
other costs
24 MW
$33.4 M to
$51.8 M +
additional admin
costs
Source: https://atb.nrel.gov/electricity/2024b
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOLAR
1. Residential and Commercial solar do not count towards meeting RPS targets
2. Solar development in the City does not provide resource adequacy or reduce other electric market costs – these are additional to all construction costs
3. Land area, purchase or rent costs in urban areas is very high and land area must accommodate vehicles and equipment for maintenance (5-10 acres/MW for utility scale)
4. Liability and costs if the Utility owns the solar PV system
5. Ground mounted canopies (parking or over canals) require costly footings and design to accommodate wind shear, geotechnical, etc.
6. Urban solar PV, such as at Tequesquite Solar Facility, require 24/7, armed security to discourage theft and vandalism
7. NIMBY’s – not everyone wants to look at solar
8. Rooftop retrofits of existing buildings may require costly structural retrofits and must avoid existing roof-mounted equipment such as air conditioning, venting, and roof-lights
DISCUSSION OF PROPOSAL
$34
Million
$5 million
Energy Storage Rebate Program: Technology agnostic – will be presented to the Board and Council for consideration in early 2026
$5 million
Resiliency Centers: Solar, batteries and deep energy efficiency at community centers that serve as community resiliency centers $5 million
Resiliency at Utility Operation Center and City Emergency Operation Center: Solar and Batteries with microgrid for operation during a power outage (up to 4 hours)
$19 million
Springs Battery Energy Storage Project: Replace Springs Power Plant generation