E3 supported Glendale Water & Power (GWP) to develop an equitable plan for customer solar and energy storage adoption. This initiative aims to maximize the use of renewable energy for Glendale’s residents and businesses, supporting the City Council’s goal of achieving customer solar and storage adoption for 10% of customers by the end of 2027, as well as an additional 100 MW capacity of dispatchable and peak-load-reducing distributed energy resources (DERs).
To inform the plan, E3 worked with GWP to conduct extensive community outreach, including multiple public meetings and an online survey, to gather insights and feedback from Glendale residents. This input was crucial in shaping the solar and storage plan to align with community priorities, making renewable energy adoption both feasible and inclusive.
E3’s approach in Glendale involved a detailed analysis of how local solar and other DERs can become effective, economical, and equitable parts of GWP’s low-carbon energy portfolio. Key areas of focus included assessing DER potential, evaluating dispatchable capacity and demand reduction, calculating benefits to GWP based on their latest integrated resource plan, and analyzing the benefits, costs, and rate impacts of adoption.
Encouraging Customer Adoption of Solar and Storage Must Be Balanced Against Other Municipal Utility Objectives Such as Equity and Rate Impacts
E3’s findings highlight several challenges in achieving Glendale’s 2027 adoption goal. Although the City Council’s target reflects Glendale’s commitment to local clean energy, reaching this milestone would also lead to a substantial increase in GWP rates, which could disproportionately affect low- to moderate-income (LMI) households. Current adoption trends show that single-family homeowners with higher incomes are much more likely to install solar and storage, which risks leaving behind multifamily and LMI residents in the transition to clean energy. Additionally, E3’s analysis highlights that customer-owned solar and storage provide limited peak capacity reduction contribution.
Recommendations for an Inclusive Local Clean Energy Future
Despite the challenges in meeting the adoption goal by 2027, there are pathways to accelerate and promote DER adoption, including multifamily and LMI customers, while reducing the rate impact on other GWP ratepayers. E3 proposed a series of recommendations to support customer solar and storage adoption in Glendale. Some of the key recommendations include prioritizing MW-based capacity goals over customer adoption level, implementing a Net Billing Tariff (NBT) to reduce the impact on other GWP ratepayers, and expanding access to solar and storage through community and off-site solar programs along with other types of utility support. E3 also advised promoting energy storage and demand reduction through Time-of-Use rates and targeted programs for renters and LMI households. These strategies aim to ensure Glendale’s pursuit of local clean energy benefits all members of the community.
E3 presented its findings and recommendations to the GWP Commission and staff on November 4, followed by a presentation to the City Council on November 19. The GWP Commission endorsed the staff recommendations for City Council approval, including acceptance of the E3 study report findings, which identified feasibility concerns and potential rate impacts. Based on these findings, GWP recommended amendments to Resolution No. 22-125 to address these issues, along with approval of three GWP staff-proposed programs aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and reducing peak demand. Both the resolution amendment and the programs proposed by GWP were endorsed by the Commission. The City Council noted the key findings of the E3 report and approved of the structure and intent of the staff-proposed programs but requested that the programs be reassessed to consider the potential for a greater MW impact and an accelerated timeline for implementation.
Supporting Utilities in Clean Energy Transitions
GWP’s efforts reflect a broader movement among utilities working to meet local clean energy and decarbonization targets. E3’s collaboration with Glendale demonstrates our commitment to guiding utilities through community-specific energy transitions, and through this engagement E3 supported the community in justifying a more cost-effective, realistic, and equitable approach for promoting customer DER adoption. In the transmission- and resource-constrained Los Angeles Basin, equitable development of local clean energy resources will play a crucial role for a resilient clean energy transition. We are proud to have contributed to a foundation for informed decision-making and remain committed to supporting cities, communities, and utilities in navigating complex challenges and achieving sustainable clean energy goals. Our work with other utilities, such as Pasadena Water and Power, showcases E3’s expertise in designing sustainable energy plans that address the unique challenges of each community. For more information on the adoption analysis, findings, and recommendations for Glendale’s solar and storage adoption plan, explore our full draft report below.
Download the report.
This report was prepared by Eric Cutter, Jun Zhang, Sierra Spencer, Fangxing Liu, Brendan Mahoney, Hannah Platter, Parker Wild, and Lindsay Bertrand. For more insights into how E3 can support utilities and other stakeholders across the industry, email eric@ethree.com.
