Integrated Community Resource Marketplace
Creating Tools that Enables Local Governments to Plan and Finance Communities Seeking to Incorporate Advanced Clean Energy Technology
Local Government Commission
Recipient
Sacramento, CA
Recipient Location
8th
Senate District
6th
Assembly District
$1,298,452
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
This project concluded in March 2018. The project team developed and implemented the ICRM platform on Fresno's Blackstone Avenue Corridor. The platform identified a portfolio of projects and programs that contribute to grid reliability and resiliency, increase energy efficiency and renewable energy, and deploy smart grid and zero net energy technologies. In all, 13 development sites, two activity centers, two program enhancements, and two electric vehicle charging proposals were identified as having the highest potential to provide benefits to Fresno. This portfolio is estimated to cost $30.8 million in capital expenditure and save participants $4.6 million annually net of financing costs, and generate approximately $1 million annually in positive cash flow. The final project report is available at https://www.energy.ca.gov/2018publications/CEC-500-2018-02
The Issue
Local governments often have ambitious climate and energy goals but lack integrated approaches to help them identify, select, and implement high-quality, cost-effective projects to meet those goals and contribute to community prosperity. At the local level there is no structured process to combine, leverage and layer funding mechanisms with project opportunities to 1) realize deeper resource savings, 2) identify more impactful projects, or 3) reach critical scale to engage private investment.
Project Innovation
This project developed a platform, called the Integrated Community Resource Market (ICRM), that utilizes the City of Fresno's existing policy and development plans, stakeholder input, and additional research, to compile a comprehensive list of development projects that are financially viable, align with current policy goals and timelines, and, upon implementation, produce verifiable savings of energy, greenhouse gas, and water. With a portfolio of projects identified, the project team used the platform to analyze each project to identify options for funding and financing the project, and carried out a financial analysis of each project to examine energy cost savings, incremental measure cost, return-on-investment in the form of payback with and without funding incentives, and property value improvement. This analysis was combined to develop a Master Community Design, which describes a suite of projects and specific processes for Fresno to consider adopting. Additional information is available at the project website: https://www.lgc.org/energize-fresno/
Project Benefits
SB 350 (2015) sets a 50 percent renewable energy standard by 2030. Local governments can play a critical role in achieving that goal by helping facilitate community-scale deployment of Integrated Distributed Energy Resources (IDER) such as energy efficiency, onsite renewables, demand response, and energy storage. This project piloted innovative planning, permitting and financing approaches and tools to help improve the business case for IDER adoption at the community-scale.
Consumer Appeal
Greater deployment of AECs will increase consumer familiarity and comfort with ZNE homes and communities, increasing the likelihood of consumers choosing to live in an AEC.
Affordability
This project will reduce the time and costs needed to bring future community-scale IDER projects to a shovel-ready state.
Economic Development
This project piloted new approaches that increase the financial attractiveness of community-scale IDER projects, which could lead to increased investment in the community.
Key Project Members
Julia Kim
Subrecipients
City of Fresno
CALSTART, INC.
Tierra Resource Consultants, LLC
Fresno Metropolitan Ministry
Match Partners
Local Government Commission
