HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 25
Environmental Initiatives Committee
Meeting Minutes
DATE: Monday, June 25, 2007
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: 26379 Fremont Road
Los Altos Hills
Town Hall
1. Call to Order, Roll Call
Attendees: Jay Shideler, Mark Jensen, Breene Kerr, John Harpootlian, Walt Wilson, Peter Evans
Guests: John LeFebvre, Solar City
Rick Ellinger, EOC
2. LAH Solar Expansion Site Tour (Solar City)
The committee toured the town hall’s new tracking PV system, which is now operational. In addition to
providing clean energy for the town hall, this installation provides an opportunity for side-by-side
performance comparison of rooftop, fixed pole-mount, and tracking PV systems.
3. LAH Solar Expansion Monitoring (Solar City)
Updating the data logger to distinguish production from among the three inverters (roof, fixed, tracking)
will cost about $1,000. The committee agrees this is a key functionality. This is part of the SolarCity scope.
The EIC also supports the capability of a website that will make logged data available and queryable. This
should include logs of individual inverter production, weather data, building consumption data, some basic
analysis (e.g. fixed vs. tracking comparison, PV production under different weather conditions, share of
building consumption). Snow Technologies of Los Altos has provided a quote for part of this work. Breene
estimates the cost will total about $4,000 and can be funded from contingency.
4. Solar Community Discount Proposal (Solar City)
SolarCity presented their proposed community discount program for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. They
propose a $.50/Watt discount if the total orders from the combined communities during a defined 3-4
month period exceed 175 kW. This program is comparable to successful programs in Woodside, Portola
Valley, and Mountain View. The effective cost of a 3 kW system after rebates, assuming asphalt roof and
use of roof jacks, is about $14,000. The program would require 35 homes participating at 5 kW per home.
Preston Roper will be the “community champion.” Solar City says these programs really rely on word of
mouth within the community and community outreach led by the community champion.
The committee suggested a separate program just for Los Altos Hills, possibly with a smaller goal, since
the PV market conditions are so different between the two communities. We also asked SolarCity to inform
us what role the town governments themselves had (if any) in the other programs.
5. LAH Solar Expansion Update
The committee agreed that some SolarCity signage on the town hall PV system would be appropriate. It
should be mounted to the poles and otherwise similar in nature to manufacturer labels on transformers.
6. Water Conservation & Landscape Recommendations Guide Update
John Harpootlian upated the committee on the progress of the water conservation working group. The
Landscape Checklist’s voluntary guidelines will be replaced with revised recommendations reinforcing
water conservation. The PHWD also now has the ability to comment on landscape plans before the
planning commission. Concerning the revised recommendations, the present recommendations really don’t
address water conservation, fire prevention, or irrigation practices and design.
The town planning staff is also researching semi-porous hardscape and development area.
7. EIC Initiatives
a. Building demolition recycling
b. Groundwater irrigation @ LL Field
c. Town Hall energy efficiency
d. Garbage/recycling contract bid specification
e. Local waste recycling site
f. Local energy efficiency under 2008 Title 24
g. Local “smart” utility metering requirements
h. Home energy use simulation
8. Outreach
a. Energy conservation
b. Renewable power generation
c. Water conservation
August 1, 2007 is the deadline for the next town newsletter.
9. Vacancies
10. Public Comments
11. Adjournment