Open Space and Ecology Committee

September 8, 2004

Page 13

OPEN SPACE AND ECOLOGY COMMITTEE

September 8, 2004

MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL, 50 PARK PLACE, BRISBANE, CA

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

Committee Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Committee Members Present: Barnes, Bouscal, Court, Gutekanst, Johnson, Lentz, and Chair Miller

Committee Members Absent: Tysen

Staff Members Present: Open Space and Ecology Analyst Pontecorvo, Assistant to the City Manager Smith

Guest: Kent Dogey, Aurora Solar and Power

Citizen: Mike Kaiser

* MC = Member of Committee

ADOPTION OF AGENDA

MC Gutekanst suggested discussing the committee’s role in the General Plan update and review process. Chair Miller proposed adding this item under “Other Committee Matters.”

MC Court made a motion, seconded by MC Lentz, to adopt the agenda as amended. The motion was carried, 6 - 0.

OPEN SPACE AND ECOLOGY COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

Open Space and Ecology Analyst Pontecorvo noted the Community Festival will take place on Saturday, October 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. At the last meeting, the committee agreed to sponsor a booth at this year’s event, and MC Gutekanst volunteered to coordinate the committee’s efforts.

Ms. Pontecorvo drew attention to the materials and articles to be distributed at the booth. She provided a folder of additional literature that the committee might also want to consider.

Ms. Pontecorvo said San Mateo County will be holding its third annual tour of solar homes and green buildings on October 2, and she provided flyers with information about the event.

Ms. Pontecorvo recommended that the committee discuss the materials and fill in the schedule of people to staff the booth.

Chair Miller asked whether the committee wanted to create a posterboard with photos publicizing community events. MC Gutekanst said she liked the idea as a way of attracting attention to the committee’s booth. Ms. Pontecorvo offered to bring her photo album. Chair Miller noted some of the photos may need to be enlarged and mounted on the posterboard. He recommended including the front cover of the Open Space Plan in the center of the display, with copies of the brochure about invasive species and photos surrounding it.

Chair Miller suggested including photos of endangered butterfly species. MC Bouscal said he would check with Philip Batchelder. He noted San Bruno Mountain Watch has three excellent framed photos of the endangered butterflies.

MC Court offered to help with mounting photos. Assistant to the City Manager Smith noted the staff can glue photos to a piece of foam coreboard. MC Bouscal said he would provide copies of the butterfly photos to the staff.

Committee members discussed themes for the booth. Chair Miller proposed focusing on the committee’s activities related to habitat restoration.

Chair Miller encouraged committee members to sign up to help MC Gutekanst staff the booth. MC Gutekanst said she planned to be there for almost the entire day. She offered to pick up the display materials, set them up at the booth, and return them to City Hall after the event. Ms. Pontecorvo passed around the sign-up sheet.

Ms. Pontecorvo said she would make extra copies of the Star articles to hand out at the booth. MC Gutekanst suggested making 100 copies of the new material and 25 copies of older items.

Chair Miller asked the staff to email copies of the sign up sheet to all committee members. He noted MC Tysen might be interested in assisting. MC Lentz said Planning Commissioner Haji Jameel also offered to help.

Chair Miller asked if any committee members planned to attend the solar tour. MC Johnson said she might be able to go. Chair Miller indicated that he might attend part of the event. He suggested that committee members report back at the next meeting.

PRESENTATION ON PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS

Chair Miller introduced Mr. Kent Dogey, CEO, Aurora Solar and Power, and welcomed him to the meeting.

MC Court said she thought Mr. Dogey’s presentation might be of interest to the committee because Aurora Solar and Power offered some options that were not available from other companies.

Chair Miller invited Mr. Dogey to make his presentation.

Mr. Dogey noted the purpose of his presentation was to provide information about solar electric systems, their benefits, and the incentives currently available. He said he represents two companies, MC Solar Engineering, an installer of solar systems since 1974, and Aurora Solar and Power, an energy service corporation that leases solar equipment to customers who do not want to purchase their own systems.

Using a commercial 30.1-kilowatt system as an example, Mr. Dogey discussed space requirements, generation capabilities, and installation costs. He pointed out that incentives currently offset approximately half of the estimated $210,000 cost. He noted incentives from PG&E will be reduced starting January 1, so future rebates are likely to pay between 10 and 30 percent of a system’s cost. Mr. Dogey said that in addition to PG&E rebates, green tags can pay 10.1 percent of the value of the system. For taxpayers who are eligible, California provides a tax credit of 3.4 percent, federal and state depreciation can pay for 21.2 percent, and the federal energy credit is worth another 5 percent. Adding all these incentives together results in a customer paying only 10 percent of the total cost, and when electric savings is taken into account, the system will have paid for itself within four years. Mr. Dogey noted that savings computations for government agencies and residential customers will vary depending on their tax status and other factors.

Mr. Dogey drew attention to his pie chart illustrating possible savings for a residential 2.4-kilowatt system and noted the California Energy Commission rebate pays for about 39 percent of the total cost of the system. He stated that installing a photovoltaic system can extend the life of a roof because it blocks ultraviolet degradation. In addition, rooftop systems also provide added building insulation because they can absorb or reflect thermal energy. Mr. Dogey estimated that photovoltaic systems with a 25-year lifespan typically provide electricity at a rate of 6 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour, a rate considerably less expensive than other sources. He added that the cost of financing a photovoltaic system is less than what consumers save in electricity.

Mr. Dogey observed that more widespread use of photovoltaic systems is inevitable in the future as fossil fuel reserves are depleted and the cost of electricity increases. He said experts estimate the world has enough oil and gas to last another eighteen or twenty years. After that, people will have to use either nuclear energy, coal, hydrogen, or solar power.

MC Johnson asked for more details about leases available from Aurora Solar and Power. Mr. Dogey responded that in order to qualify for rebates, utility companies require systems to be installed and operational in one location for at least five years. He said Aurora offers ten-year contracts, and customers can either purchase the system or have it removed by Aurora at the end of the ten-year period. He added that contracts can be canceled after five years if the customer pays for removal and reinstallation elsewhere.

MC Johnson said she and her husband recently installed a photovoltaic system at their house. She reported that during the past month, as the sun becomes lower in the sky, production has decreased and about half the panels are in the shade for much of the day. She asked if racks would be better than a stationary system for that reason. Mr. Dogey responded that single-axis tracking systems raise production by about 30 percent per year, and double-axis trackers increase production by about 35 or 37 percent. He said that although a 31 percent angle is ideal, a flat surface generally works well. He added that the main problem with most installations is lack of space.

Mr. Dogey noted that going to solar power already makes financial sense, and it also makes sense environmentally. However, utility companies realize that the more customers who use solar power, the less need there will be to build power plants, so their revenues will suffer. Mr. Dogey expressed his opinion that government should do more in the form of rebates and other incentives to encourage people to install photovoltaic systems.

Chair Miller said the City is looking at green building and solar requirements for new construction, especially commercial buildings, and the City is also looking at the possibility of installing a photovoltaic system on City Hall. He observed that the lease arrangement might be an attractive option for the City, and he asked how it works out financially for customers. Mr. Dogey said that at the end of the ten-year lease term, a customer can have the system appraised and buy it, renew the lease for another term, or have it removed. He explained that Aurora collects the rebates and incentives, and customers pay half of what PG&E charges for the electric energy produced by the system.

MC Johnson asked about the possibility of using roofs on carports and parking lots for photovoltaic systems. She noted there are many flat-roofed buildings in Crocker Industrial Park that might be used to create a solar energy “farm.” Mr. Dogey responded that some large commercial customers, such as Safeway, are using parking structure roofs in addition to store roofs. He added that adequate space can be a problem for multi-story buildings with relatively small footprints.

MC Bouscal asked if Aurora insures the equipment provided under a lease. Mr. Dogey stated that Aurora insures the equipment.

Chair Miller thanked Mr. Dogey for his presentation. He observed there were a number of interesting ideas that the City might want to explore. Mr. Dogey urged the City to take advantage of the current rebates and incentive programs before they are curtailed. Committee members expressed their appreciation to Mr. Dogey for the information he provided.

Mike Kaiser commended the committee for arranging Mr. Dogey’s enlightening presentation. He asked about the possibility of adding a solar vehicle charging station as part of the City Hall remodel project. He encouraged the City to consider purchasing solar-powered vehicles. He noted Ford and General Motors are trying to stop production of these vehicles, but the City could save at least 50 percent on vehicle maintenance by converting to solar power.

Mr. Dogey commented that a huge array would be required to power an entire fleet, and he said he was not sure the City had enough space. He added that electric vehicles typically consume 7 to 9 kilowatts per 50-mile trip.

UPDATE AND DISCUSSION OF CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS

Amended Bylaws for Open Space and Ecology Committee

Assistant to the City Manager Smith reported that the City Council amended the committee’s bylaws to eliminate the PB&R Commission representative. He drew attention to the revised bylaws in the meeting packet.

MC Bouscal said he understood that the Council was considering eliminating another public member to result in an odd number on the committee. Mr. Smith stated that the Council might either eliminate one member or add one. He noted the Council decided to revisit this issue after the next round of committee appointments.

MC Johnson pointed out that it is rare for the committee to be so divided that a tie-breaking vote is necessary.

Chair Miller commented that he was disappointed with the Council’s decision. He said he prepared a statement explaining the rationale for including the PB&R Commission as a way of enhancing communication between the committee and other City bodies on issues that overlap. Chair Miller added that he understood the arguments about workload and time commitments.

MC Johnson said she shared Chair Miller’s perspective. She observed that it might have helped to lobby Councilmembers more to enlist their support for continuing the PB&R representative. She also recommended working more closely with other commissions and committees in the future to obtain their buy-in on important issues.

Chair Miller noted that Mary Howe, the first PB&R Commission representative on the committee, was an active and interested participant, but the more recent representative was not attending meetings on a regular basis.

Chair Miller said he would like to forward his letter to the Mayor and City Council.

MC Barnes said he was also disappointed with the outcome. He expressed his hope that future appointees to the PB&R Commission will be more interested and willing to participate actively on other City groups. He suggested that Chair Miller modify his letter to recommend that the City Council maintain that as a goal for the future when interviewing candidates for the PB&R Commission.

Chair Miller noted it might be appropriate for the committee to pass a motion conveying this message to the City Council. He suggested that he and MC Barnes work on appropriate wording.

MC Johnson made a motion, seconded by MC Gutekanst, to send Chair Miller’s amended message to the City Council. The motion was carried unanimously.

OTHER COMMITTEE MATTERS

Status of Consultant on Green Building Ordinance

Assistant to the City Manager Smith reported that Community Development Director Prince has been working with John Zinner to develop a consultant proposal and define the scope of work. He said he expected a proposal and budget would be ready to present to the City Council within the next month.