CC SR 20200317 09 - EV Charging Stations
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 03/17/2020
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to receive a presentation on options for powering EV
charging stations at Hesse Park.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file a presentation on options for powering EV charging stations at
Hesse Park; and,
(2) Provide direction to Staff as to City Council’s preferences for powering EV
Charging stations.
FISCAL IMPACT: None at this time
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: James O’Neill, Project Manager (Public Works)
REVIEWED BY: Elias Sassoon, Director of Public Works
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Excerpt from the Guide to the 2016 California Green Building Standards Code
(page A-1)
B. Solar, Storage & Electric Vehicle Analysis report from Eco Motion (page B-2)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
On April 16, 2019, the City Council directed Staff to include at least four electric vehicle
(EV) charging stations in the design for the parking lot improvement project at Fred
Hesse, Jr. Community Park (Hesse Park).
According to the state’s Guide to the 2016 California Green Building Standards Code
(Nonresidential) (Attachment A), seven EV charging stations would be required for a
parking lot with 101-150 spaces for a new building. Although the building at Hesse Park
is not new, the guide is the best guideline Staff is aware of that provides an adopted
standard for determining the proper number of EV charging stations for a parking lot.
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As the design for parking lot improvements is concluding, it is important to know the City
Council’s preference for powering the EV charging stations, as it affects conduit and
associated infrastructure to that may need to be placed below the new parking lot
pavement. Powering options include:
1. AC (alternating current) power
2. Permanent Carport Solar Panels
3. Permanent Carport Solar Panels with Battery storage
4. Temporary Solar Carport Panels with EV Charging Stations
Option 1: AC power
This option would forgo solar energy as an option, and would simply add to the energy
consumed through the facility’s electrical panel and be reflected in monthly billing from
Southern California Edison. The electrical panel and the building’s electrical system
would have to be evaluated by an electrical engineer, and electrical conduit would have
to be located underground from the building’s electrical panel to the EV charging station
locations. Placing that conduit underground would involve considerable trenching a nd
boring around the building and through the parking lot. Staff estimates that expense to
be $100,000.
Option 2: Permanent Carport Solar Panels
A new carport with solar panels could be installed over the additional row of 17 parking
spaces expected to be added to the parking lot as part of the Hesse Park parking lot
improvements project, and connect to the electrical system for the facility.
2
In July 2019, the City received a report from EcoMotion, a SolSmart Advisor through an
Advanced Activities partnership through the South Bay Cities Council of Governments
(SBCCOG) that presented a favorable case for constructing a 45.5-kilowatt (kW ) solar
carport. The report stated that such a carport would provide enough power to offset
100% of the existing facility electricity consumption, plus generating a significant portion
(8,000 kWh) of the power needed for EV charging station infrastructure.
Ecomotion determined that such a solar carport has an estimated gross cost of
$227,700 and compares the upfront purchase of the project to an option of financial
agreements offered by solar developers, which would substantially reduce the upfront
costs. Their preliminary assessment of energy costs would equate to a payback period
of 20.5 years.
Option 3: Permanent Carport Solar Panels with Battery Storage
This option is similar to Option 2, but would include battery energy storage instead of
connecting to the electrical system for the facility. As the cost of battery storage is likely
to more than offset the savings incurred by not trenching and avoiding the conduit to
connect to the building’s electrical system, staff estimates the cost of such an option to
be around $250,000. This is Staff’s preferred option.
Option 4: Portable Solar Carports with EV Charging Stations
Staff was contacted by Envision Solar, a company that offers transportable, self-
contained solar charging stations. This option would allow the City to purchase
individual charging stations to be placed in the additional row of 17 parking spaces, and
affords the City the option to move them if desired. Preliminary estimates for four of
these charging stations would be between $260,000 and $320,000, based on
consideration of Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations (see below) and depending on
options chosen by the City. As illustrated below, the use of a portable solar carport
would occupy parking spaces.
3
Staff seeks the City Council’s direction on its preferred power option, so that Staff can
return with an action item, such as formal proposal, for the desired option. It should be
noted that Option Nos. 1-3 do not include the price of the EV charging station, whereas
Option No. 4 does.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The actual electrical consumption of charging stations will depend on the type of
charging stations chosen by the City (which has not yet been determined or discussed).
Although not the focus of this staff report, for context of the powering options
discussion, a number of charging station options exist. At this time, Staff has identified
the following three typical types of EV charging stations:
Level 1 (120 volt): provides an hourly charge that results in
approximately 6-8 miles of driving range
Level 2 (240 volt): provides an hourly charge that results in
approximately 18-22 miles of driving range
Fast Charging: provides a full charge of a vehicle’s batteries, with
charging time varied based on the charging rate
offered by the charging station (typically 25 kW, 50
kW, 100 kW, or possibly as high as 250 kW), however
these types of stations are quite costly.
Staff will continue to explore the different types of EV charging stations, but will likely
recommend the City choose the Level 2 EV charging station option. This is supported
by data (from Envision Solar’s representative) that indicates that the average person
drives approximately 36 miles per day, and 8 out of 10 people commute approximately
24 miles roundtrip to work daily, and therefore a Level 2 charging station would provide
an estimated charge that would equate to more than half of an average person’s daily
mileage (and 75% or more of the commuting range of 8 of 10 people) in two hours of
charge time.
There are other components of EV charging stations that Staff is exploring for Council’s
consideration at a later date including, but not limited, to the following:
Cost to User – what, if any usage cost, is passed onto users.
Pay Rates – what industry options of different pay rates for different users (i.e. a
lower rate for RPV residents) and/or different rates based on day of the week or
times of day
Usage Time Limits - use of City-owned charging stations be limited to ensure
availability to all users.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available
for the City Council’s consideration:
4
1. Take other action as deemed appropriate by the City Council
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July 2019
SOLAR, STORAGE & ELECTRIC VEHICLE ANALYSIS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES – HESSE PARK
ECOMOTION
SOLAR WITH CONFIDENCE
619 S Olive St, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90014
(949) 292 - 7314 | www.ecomotion.us
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EcoMotion is pleased to serve as SolSmart Advisor to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, and to present this
Solar, Storage & Electric Vehicle Analysis for its Fred Hesse, Jr. Community Park facility through the
Advanced Activities portion of that partnership.
This report analyzes and presents a case for a 45.5 kW solar carport which would offset 100% of current
facility electricity consumption plus a significant portion of new demand generated by EV infrastructure.
This report presents four recommendations:
1) Install a solar carport over all 17 new parking spaces planned for the Hesse Park lot redesign.
2) Install a minimum of four EV charging ports in conjunction with the solar carport.
3) Install pre-wired infrastructure for an additional four EV charging ports for future demand.
4) Consider battery energy storage later when equipment costs gone down.
Installation of EV infrastructure at Hesse Park will be welcomed by the 848 EV-owning residents within
the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Public EV infrastructure is not widely available and this project takes an
important step in expanding access for current EV owners while supporting future EV owners to make the
switch from fossil fuel to electric vehicles. EV infrastructure deployment will also help advance the City’s
goal of increasing EV ownership to 1,422.
EXISTING FACILITY ELECTRIC CHARGES
Current Electric Rates: Southern California Edison (SCE) serves Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) and is a
favorable utility for solar. Hesse Park is on a GS-2-TOU D rate. The following table summarizes
annual charges and is based on 15-minute interval data:
Date Total Energy
(kWh)
Demand
(kW)
Total
Charges
1/24/2019 6,151 26 $ 1,091
2/24/2019 4,897 21 $ 903
3/24/2019 4,879 19 $ 847
4/24/2019 4,456 19 $ 812
5/24/2019 4,579 21 $ 1,143
6/24/2018 6,515 27 $ 1,783
7/24/2018 7,825 29 $ 1,986
8/24/2018 6,194 24 $ 1,638
9/24/2018 5,381 24 $ 1,054
10/24/2018 5,349 24 $ 1,004
11/24/2018 5,561 22 $ 986
12/24/2018 6,087 29 $ 1,147
Total 67,874 $ 14,393
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HESSE PARK SOLAR SUMMARY
Solar
(kW DC)
Solar
System
Estimated
Install Cost/W
Gross
Cost
25-Year
O&M
25-Year Utility
Savings
Payback
Period
Solar 45.5 Carport $5.00 $227,700 $35,585 $334,025 20.5 Years
Site Address: 29301 Hawthorne Blvd Rancho Palos Verdes CA 90275
Preliminary Solar Assessment: A 45.5 kW DC
solar carport to be located over 17 new parking
spaces created during the lot renovation
directed by City Council. This 45 kW system was
modeled with the following assumptions:
Solar Modules: 330 kW DC
Inverter: 98.5% efficiency
Switchgear Upgrades: The scenario estimates
that the switchgear and circuits in this building
will need to be upgraded to accommodate the
solar interconnection and the additional EV charging loads.
Solar Interconnection: The wires from the carport array will need to be trenched and/or bored back to the
main electric meter location.
Geotechnical Survey: A geotechnical soil survey will need to be conducted in order to determine the
depth of the concrete piers to support the carport structure.
Rate Switch: A rate switch from GS-2-TOU D to GS-2-TOU E. GS-2-TOU E has reduced demand charges,
and it carries higher energy charges, these charges are typically offset by solar generation.
Oversizing & Additional EV Energy demand: A 45 kW system is oversized for the current annual electric
load by approximately 8,000 kWh. SCE will not approve a system of this size for this facility without
justification of additional future electric load. Therefore, to construct a 45 kW system, the City must
justify new EV charging station load which will require at least an additional 8,000 kWh of annual electric
load. The EV section of this report will present how the City can satisfy this requirement.
Additional Notes: The purpose of the solar summary is to provide a preliminary assessment of solar costs
and savings for Hesse Park. EcoMotion recommends that the City seek a minimum of three bids through a
competitive process in order to drive down upfront capital costs and generate greater savings.
Monthly Energy Use and Solar Generation
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Preliminary Solar Design: 45 kW Carport
Carport with New Parking
N
N
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Typical Carport Solar Systems
Carport solar systems are more expensive than roof or ground-mounted as they require
geotechnical soil surveys, steel frame fabrication, and trenching to the main switchgear and
circuit breakers. Parking space restriping may occur to adhere to ADA regulations stating there
must be covered parking over ADA stalls at a ratio of 1 to 25. Additionally, parking stall width for
carports are required to be wider/longer than standard stalls (9’x19’) for stalls that are located
near any support columns.
Maintenance & Equipment Replacement
If RPV chooses to own the solar system, maintenance, equipment replacement, and monitoring
will be the responsibility of the municipality. These costs are included in this analysis.
Equipment Replacement Timeline
Equipment Useful Life (Years)
Solar Panels 25+
Inverters 15
Batteries 10
Solar Panel Assumptions
Photovoltaic (PV) panels were modeled based on multicrystalline modules with 330 Watts DC
power. PV panel specifications vary greatly, and it is possible that RPV may procure modules with
more or less electric output for similar or reduced costs.
Inverter Assumptions
Inverters with max power of 20 kW, max voltage of 1,000V with overall efficiency of 98.5% were
modeled.
Module Level Rapid Shutdown Requirements
Per the 2017 National Electric Code, all individual modules require a Module-Level Power
Electronic devices that can instantly shutdown each panel for safety.
SOLAR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Mechanisms for Buying Solar Energy
RPV has two primary options to finance municipal solar and battery storage: through Power
Purchase Agreements (PPA) or an upfront cash payment (or similarly through a low interest loan).
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Purchase
An upfront purchase, whether in cash or financed, places RPV as the owner of the system. In this
scenario, the District also pays to maintain the system and is responsible for replacing inverters at
least once through the system life of 25 years or more. A well-maintained system can last up to
30 years or more. RPV, as a non-profit, would not receive state or federal tax incentives.
Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)
PPAs are financial agreements offered by solar developers for the design, permitting, financing,
installation, and maintenance of solar and battery systems. Commercial developers receive the
Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the Federal 100% Bonus Depreciation (2018 Tax
Reform Bill) incentives, which substantially reduce the upfront costs of the projects. The PPA
developer owns and maintains the system, and charges RPV for the energy generated. This is
established as a charge per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy delivered.
Comparison of PPA & Cash Purchase Responsibilities
Power Purchase Agreement Cash Purchase
Ownership 20-25-Year commitment to
purchase the energy
Own
Maintenance Included Yes No
Monitoring Included Yes No
Upfront Payment No Yes
System Buyout Optional N/A
If pursuing PPA’s, EcoMotion recommends explicitly stating that RPV owns the Renewable Energy
Credits (REC’s) and therefore the environmental attributes of solar.
For RPV to save money when pursuing PPA’s, the cost of a kWh from the PPA needs to be lower
than the cost of a kWh from the utility. PPA’s tend to offer prices in the $0.12 to $0.19 per kWh,
dependent upon system size and project parameters. EcoMotion recommends soliciting bids with
both “cash purchase” and PPA pricing options. However, typical PPA thresholds are 200 kW or
greater, and a PPA offer at this system size would be priced higher.
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Solar 25-Year Cashflow Analysis
Inputs and Key Financial Metrics
Total Project Costs $227,700 25-Year NPV ($68,200) Discount Rate 5%
10-Year IRR -11.97% Payback Period 20.5 Years Electricity Escalation Rate 3%
20-Year IRR -0.3% 25-Year ROI 31.1% Federal Income Tax Rate 0%
25-Year IRR 2.01% PV Degradation Rate 0.5% State Income Tax Rate 0%
Years Project Costs O&M / Equipment Replacement Electric Bill Savings Total Cash Flow Cumulative Cash Flow
Upfront -$227,700 - - -$227,700 -$227,700
1 - -$592 $9,826 $9,234 -$218,466
2 - -$610 $10,070 $9,460 -$209,006
3 - -$628 $10,320 $9,692 -$199,314
4 - -$647 $10,576 $9,929 -$189,384
5 - -$666 $10,838 $10,172 -$179,213
6 - -$686 $11,106 $10,420 -$168,793
7 - -$707 $11,381 $10,674 -$158,119
8 - -$728 $11,662 $10,934 -$147,185
9 - -$750 $11,949 $11,199 -$135,986
10 - -$772 $12,244 $11,471 -$124,514
11 - -$796 $12,545 $11,749 -$112,765
12 - -$819 $12,853 $12,034 -$100,731
13 - -$844 $13,169 $12,325 -$88,406
14 - -$869 $13,492 $12,622 -$75,784
15 - -$895 $13,822 $12,927 -$62,857
16 - -$14,922 $14,160 -$762 -$63,619
17 - -$950 $14,506 $13,556 -$50,062
18 - -$979 $14,860 $13,882 -$36,180
19 - -$1,008 $15,223 $14,215 -$21,966
20 - -$1,038 $15,593 $14,555 -$7,411
21 - -$1,069 $15,972 $14,903 $7,492
22 - -$1,101 $16,360 $15,259 $22,751
23 - -$1,134 $16,757 $15,622 $38,373
24 - -$1,168 $17,162 $15,994 $54,367
25 - -$1,203 $17,577 $16,374 $70,741
Totals: -$227,700 -$35,585 $334,025 $70,741 -
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ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUMMARY
EV Charging Station Siting Considerations
City Council has directed staff to site four EV charging stations within the Fred Hesse, Jr.
Community Center parking lot redesign. Preliminary conceptual drawings proposed that charging
stations be sited in the parking row nearest the playing fields. A revised concept now includes a
new parking row to be constructed by grading the hill on the opposite side of the lot. A solar
canopy is proposed to cover the new parking row.
The new design concept presents an opportunity to integrate EV charging stations within the
solar canopy. Integrating EV charging stations into the solar canopy offers two benefits: EV-
integration 1) minimizes project boring and trenching costs, and 2) affords installation of
additional conduit runs for future infrastructure needs.
Boring and trenching through concrete for electrical conduit runs may cost $100 per square foot.1
The cost may be higher for decorative surfaces, e.g. the brick interlaid in front of the Community
Center entryway. Based on the preliminary conceptual drawings which propose siting EV charging
stations in the parking row nearest the playing fields, we estimate the project will require 300 –
400 feet of trenching through concrete. This presents a potential cost for trenching of $30,000 -
$40,000.
Installation of a solar canopy over the new parking row will also require trenching. The new
parking row, however, will be sited approximately half the distance from the point of
interconnection than the EV charging stations proposed in the preliminary conceptual drawings.
Integrating EV charging stations into the solar canopy design allows all conduits to share a trench,
thus eliminating the need for the EV-dedicated trenching scenario illustrated above.
To accommodate four EV charging ports, the City may proceed one of two ways: 1) install two
dual-port charging stations or 2) install four single-port charging stations. Dual-port stations
installed between parking spaces present the most economical scenario as it eliminates the need
for additional stations, thereby reducing up-front infrastructure costs.
Future Planning for EV Charging Stations
While City Council has directed staff to site four EV charging stations, we recommend that City
staff also consider pre-wiring additional spaces to accommodate future EV users. The 2016
California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) requires all new development to include
pre-wiring for Level 2 EV charging.2 In this case, CALGreen compliance requires installation of only
one EV charging station per installation of up to 25 new parking spaces. Best practice in planning
for future EV adoption, however, recommends that parking lots with 101-150 spaces install seven
pre-wired EV charging spaces.3
1 U.S. DOE “Costs Associated with Non-Residential Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.”
2 CALGreen, Chapter 5, Section 5.106.5.3
3 CALGreen 2016 Voluntary Tier 1 and Tier 2 Non-residential EV Pre-wiring Requirements increase EV numbers to
10 and 12 respectively.
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Pre-wired EV-ready parking spaces would require installation of additional conduit runs for future
dedicated circuits at the time of trenching. This will eliminate future trenching costs.
SCE Charge Ready Has Expired
SCE had previously offered non-residential customers installation of five or more EV charging
stations at no cost through its Charge Ready Program, however, due to funding limits, the
program now accepts applications from Multi-Unit Dwellings (MUD) only. Municipal facilities are
no longer eligible for participation.
EV Charging Station Equipment Costs
SCE publishes a list of approved vendors and charging stations eligible for the Charge Ready
Program. According to the published list, Level II EV charging station equipment purchase costs
range from $2,095 - $2,390 per charge port.4 Level II charging station costs can range up to
$5,000 per charge port for equipment only.
EV charging station hardware requires either an Internet or cellular connection to communicate
with the software platform. EV Most charging station manufacturers charge a monthly network
fee. These costs range from $10 per month for software platform access to $245 per port per
month for software and network hosting.
A single branch circuit should be dedicated for each charging portion. (This applies whether each
station is single or dual port.) Depending on the manufacturer and model, each circuit will require
a minimum 30A. Level II chargers typically require a service range of 30A – 50A. Inspection of
electrical equipment indicates adequate space within the three service panels to serve up to
eight additional 2-pole branch circuits, however, circuit reconfiguration will be required at the
panel to accommodate those circuits. Construction of the solar canopy may require new
subpanels which can also accommodate the new dedicated EV charging station circuits.
Public Charging Access
The City has a choice in how it provides access to EV charging stations to its residents. EV
charging stations may be offered to residents as a free service; electric charges may be passed
through to residents at the same rate paid by the City; or the City can elect to charge residents a
premium for the convenience and accessibility of public charging. EV charging station
manufacturers offer software platforms which allow owners to set prices and users to pay by
credit card. The City will have complete access to the software platform and total freedom to
make pricing changes as necessary.
Estimating Future Load
A solar array covering all 17 new parking spaces would be oversized for the building without
adding EV charging stations. Charging stations at public facilities typically offer EV owners a “Just-
In-Time” charging option. Sessions typically last two hours and we estimate an average eight kWh
of consumption per session. Installing four EV charging ports will increase the site load to:
4 The SCE Charge Ready Approved Vendor and Charging Station list is not a complete list of EVSE manufacturers.
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New Site Load Calculations
One 2-hour charging session = 8 kWh
8 kWh X 4 EV charging ports = 32 kWh per day
32 kWh X 365 days = 11,680 kWh of new consumption
Therefore, installation of four EV charging stations should adequately justify construction of a
45.5 kW solar carport.
BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SUMMARY
Existing Resiliency
Hesse Park’s existing resiliency infrastructure includes a Generac 70 kW SG0070 LPG-powered
generator plumbed to a 100-gallon liquid-propane tank. Based on an annual average facility
demand of 8 kW, the generator should provide approximately 72 hours of continuous emergency
back-up power in the event of an outage. At a recent price of $2.41 per gallon of liquid propane5,
the cost for 72 hours of generator operation would cost approximately $347.04. At historical max
load, this cost increases to $1,041.21. The table below illustrates generator fuel consumption
rates.
On-Site LPG Generator Fuel Consumption Rate
Percent Load Liquid Propane gph
25% 4.3
50% 7.4
75% 9.9
100% 12.3
Hesse Park Average Load (8
kW / 11.42%)
~ 2.0
Hesse Park Historical Max
Load (28.8 kW / 41.14%)
~ 6.0
Adding Battery Energy Storage
To achieve the same level of resilience with battery energy storage at the facility’s historical max
load, the amount of energy which must be stored is 887 kWh. To store 887 kWh requires more
than 200 kW of battery storage capacity. At current prices, this level of battery energy storage
will be cost prohibitive to the City. For example:
5 U.S. Energy Information Agency, Weekly U.S. Propane Residential Price:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=W_EPLLPA_PRS_NUS_DPG&f=W
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A Tesla PowerPack 2.5 offers 57 kW of rated power and 228 kW of storage capacity. The City
would require four units to satisfy facility demand over three days. At a rule of thumb cost of
$1,000 per kWh storage capacity installed, this project would cost approximately $912,000.
CONCLUSION
This report presents a favorable case for Rancho Palos Verdes to construct a 45.5 kW solar
carport at Hesse Park which will deliver a simple payback within its lifetime. Furthermore,
integrating four EV charging stations and additional pre-wired EV infrastructure will both reduce
capital costs and add significant value for the City and its residents. EcoMotion recommends that
the City seek a minimum of three bids through a competitive process to drive down capital costs
and generate greater savings. If the City would like further assistance, EcoMotion would be happy
to serve as your owner’s representative to manage the RFP process and project execution phases.
Sincerely,
Shaun Miller
Project Manager
EcoMotion, Inc.
(512) 660-2026
smiller@ecomotion.us
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