AN ORDINANCE relating to the City Light Department; authorizing a large solar program for customers with solar photovoltaic systems sized larger than 100 kilowatts and not greater than two megawatts; and adding a new Section 21.49.083 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
Report on Housing, Health, Energy and Workers Rights Committee. Joint Item six Constable 11956 In relation to the satellite department authorizing a large solar program for customers with solar photovoltaic systems sized larger than 100 kilowatts and not greater than two megawatts, and adding a new section 21.40 9.0 83 to the September code. The committee recommends the bill passed as amended. Council Member Mosquito and take your time. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I will filibuster. So I am excited about the next two pieces of legislation, which I think are in line with the city's commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and to promoting green energy and a greener economy. The first piece of legislation that we have is related to the solar program for customers in larger buildings. This will help to expand the production of renewable energy and move away from fossil fuels. I want to underscore that this legislation in front of us is a new program at Seattle City Light for large scale producers of solar energy. So you can imagine some of our larger midsize and larger buildings that have flat roofs, that don't have the ability to currently engage in generating solar energy at this point. Now, they would be able to be part of a program that allows for them to be large producers of solar energy and would establish a large commercial solar export rate in Seattle Municipal Code. And this can be updated over time. I think this is an important first step, and I'll just reiterate the point that I made earlier. None of these policies, whether we're talking about the solar program today or in the second, we'll be talking about the new energy market. These are not the end all be all to creating a greener economy. These are policies that help us strive towards our commitment to creating more options for entering into a greener economy and creating more green options. So along with transportation, we know from the reports that have been generated right here in Seattle that building emissions is one of the largest sources of climate warming carbon emissions in Seattle. And as stated in our Green New Deal resolution that passed just last month in this city council chamber, thanks again to Councilmember O'Brien for your leadership on that. We know that energy for heating, cooling and powering buildings accounted for more than one third of Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 alone. Currently, we have a handful of large scale commercial solar producers that contract individually with Seattle City Light. But we haven't had a program that creates standards, rates and rules on the books as of yet. That is what this legislation aims to do. The lack of predictability of benefits from installing solar installations on roofs can be a barrier right now for more buildings and more entities to enter into the current program that Seattle City Light has. So we need to create a project that creates true standards for onsite solar energy generation. This will create consistency, predictability and will help to make sure that onsite solar production is actually being encouraged and that this electricity that's being generated on site can not only be used for those businesses that are generating it, but any excess energy that's generated on site can also be conveyed into city lights system for use elsewhere and help set up export rates for customers to be credits. That excess energy is accounted for. So with that, I just want to also note that Aaron House for my office has done a ton of. Work. On this legislation before we brought it to full council and before we brought it to our committee to make sure that the labor advocates, affordable housing advocates, energy and environmental advocates were at the table to provide additional input before we brought the legislation forward. And that includes folks from IBEW, Emerald City's Northwest Energy Coalition and SPARC Northwest to make sure that as we move forward, we were encouraging higher labor standards, energy efficiency and including in affordable housing and to making sure that we were striving for high performing energy efficiency standards in all building. This is, I think, a good first step as we look at trying to expand solar production to new buildings of various sizes. And we'll continue to be meeting with affordable housing advocates. I also understand that Seattle City, LA, has been working with the affordable housing developers on creating a virtual net metering program that makes sure that the energy savings are passed along to the low income residents who are more likely to be renters in these buildings. And that's a critical element of this component as well. I think Councilmember Brown, we've talked about that before. When we look at green energy standards and buildings, we have to make sure that renters are beneficiaries of these policies as well. So thanks to everybody involved. Thanks to Aaron for your quick work with all of these stakeholders and to City Light for being willing to work with us on this legislation and the amendments. I think that with these amendments, the policy has really been strengthened and helps us strive towards that commitment of affordability, equity and climate priorities as we put forward this solar program. We do have a substitute bill. You all have it in your materials, so there's no need to pass out materials here. Thank you, Amelia, for including that in the council materials that were sent out on Friday. And this is a substitute bill that really includes some technical language. So I'll just run through those two components, which we really quickly included in the substitute bill is clarifying language on how the size of these systems are measured. So, for example, this amendment explicitly states that the practice of measuring will be in terms of alternating current or AC and also is clarifying the effective date for the export rate of the solar bill. This amendment makes it clear that regardless of when an interconnection agreement is signed. So, for example, if you signed up in 2019 and it's now 2020, you actually are receiving the 2020 rate. So all customers in the program are on the same updated export rate each year. And with that, Mr. President, if I may, I would like to move to a man council bill 119516 by substituting version six for version one A to include these technical amendments. Very good. Is there a second? So it's been moved in second and choose substitute version six for version one. I think Consumer said it described it very well. So any questions or comments after that description, can we're just going to vote on the amendment now? All those in favor of the amendment, please vote I. I opposed the ayes have it. The version is substituted. Consumers get reject. Say, Lamar, we're ready to vote. Okay. Any other questions or comments on the bill? If not, please call the role on the passage of the amended bill. Big John Gonzalez Herbold II. Suarez, Mashaba I O'Brien. Pacheco, so on. President Harrell Hi 9 a.m. Favorite Unopposed Bill passed. Cheryl Simon Please read Agenda Item Number seven. Agenda Item seven Council Bill 119 571 relating to the satellite department authorizing department to enter and participate in the Western Energy Imbalance Market, including the ability to execute additional agreements necessary or convenient to participating in the Western Energy Imbalance Market.