Presentation of CAAP Teams Update by Sarah Olsen, Office of Sustainability Staff
CEC discussed their project proposals:
Norris:
Expressed concern over what is coming out of Good Stewards Natural Resources'
budgeting priorities and incongruency with slides that discussed CPRG and the list of
budget priorities she came up with. Requested that the minutes reflect her statement that
the CEC should prioritize investment in Justice40 Communities and Afforestation in
Justice 40 communities.
Basing input on CAAP initiatives, the focus for her funding suggestions was on
biodiversity, trees, and waterways. Would like to see the commission show support for
whatever the next steps are with Show Me The Heat.
Understands that there are opportunities to focus on flood risk reduction and revegetating
stream buffers, but doesn’t know where they live within the local government.
There is consideration for capacity and budget availability with regard to budget
allocations.
Adams:
Recommended funding for building “model” houses using the most recent building code.
Tippett Mosby stated that Columbia is pretty up-to-date on building codes, but there was
a decision made not to move forward with the 2021 codes due to financial constraints and
COVID.
Building codes are being discussed in the House and Senate.
Godwin commented that it would be a good idea to have a downstream use of the
buildings developed and how they could be utilized in a beneficial way for the community.
Do we need to have a comparison for a building
Habitat for Humanity homes on the NE side of town are already being built by 2018 code
standards and would provide a good basis for comparison. Tippett Mosby pointed out that
this effort could dovetail with the Rental Home Energy Efficiency project.
Hall:
Noticed that many of the CAAP actions for Water and Light would make sense with a
virtual power plant. Virtual power plants would help manage demand on the grid. Use an
on-bill financing model. This is a way for consumers of all income levels to participate.
Linked a case study from a Co-Op in North Carolina that utilizes this method. This could
lead to the utilization of resilience hubs with distributive energy resources installed in
those buildings and able to supply energy to the virtual power plant.
Tippett Mosby mentioned struggles associated with proposing a pilot program to the
utility and council, and that maybe a way to help people understand the methodology
would be to hire a consultant to do a feasibility study.
Hempel mentioned that there is opportunity in current programs where initial steps can be
taken to make the idea of a virtual power plant realistic in the future. This idea will be
brought to the Clean Energy CAAP team and members of the utility.
