Environmental Sustainability Council

Environmental Services Council Energy Transition Subcommittee Thursday, May 5th, 7:30 9:30 pm Conference Room, Gage House Draft Minutes 1. Call to Order: Tim Stevens (Chair), members Andy Crawford and Peter Adriance, and Kate Walker (Staff Liaison) attended the meeting. 2. Public Comments: No public comments were received. 3. Approval of Minutes (April 7th, 2016): Minutes of the April 7th meeting were not yet available for review. 4. Discussions  Solar for FCCPS: Secure Futures (SF) reported the results of their solar assessment of City schools to Toni Jones, Hunter Kimball, Seve Padilla and Tim Stevens on April 21st. Mary Ellen Henderson and TJ Elementary were evaluated. The schools would not need to make any capital investment, but would be asked to buy the power produced at a rate which is higher than the VEPGA rate we currently pay. MEH has capacity for 125KW of solar PV, which SF estimated would meet approximately 10% of their electricity needs. Returns were estimated to be $8000 in the first year and $500,000 over the lifetime of the panels. Plans for redevelopment of the campus and possible construction to link the school with George Mason High School mean this project must be put on hold. TJ has capacity for 44kW of solar PV, which SF said would make them almost a net-zero facility. However, in Virginia Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) must have a capacity of 50 kW or more unless they are for a 501(c)(3) organization. Kate will investigate the tax-exempt status of the schools. Tim will provide the citation for the restriction and check the details of the power data used by SF. An alternative to the PPA would be for the school itself to purchase the panels, perhaps as a Capital Improvement Project (CIP).  Solarize II campaign: This is the final week for Solarize. Kate will ask the City’s Office of Communications to put out a newsflash advising residents to get their home energy check-up before summer’s high cooling costs hit.  Community Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction goals – Although the net zero goal proposed by Nisha seems very ambitious, it is one the City proposed to reach before, in a 2009 grant proposal. ETS members are asked to read the proposal and be prepared to discuss at our next meeting. The Sierra Club is starting a new “Ready for 100” initiative (http://www.sierraclub.org/ready-for- 100) to support jurisdictions aiming for 100% renewable energy use. Although our capacity to act is limited by our legislative environment, the educational component of the program is important, and joining would demonstrate a commitment. ETS members are asked to review the program and be prepared to discuss at our next meeting. 5. Informational Items  Committee Items: Tim briefed attendees on how to interpret labeling on LED lightbulbs. A 2700 Kelvin “Warm/Soft White” LED bulb is approximately equivalent to a typical 60W incandescent. “Day White” is too bright (5000 K) for most home use.  Staff Items: Kate was asked to respond (at short notice) to questions about renewable energy from some students at MEH. Her answers will be shared with committee members. Our responses to two COG surveys on sustainability have been submitted on time. Data for the EPA Green Power program will be submitted this month – they are probably an underestimate, since we do not have a comprehensive list of REC purchases by the community other than “green power” numbers from Dominion. RECs might be considered as a future topic for discussion in this committee. 6. Next Meeting  Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 (Location: Conference Room, Gage House)