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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0143.078 2014-2016Our vision is that everyone in the San Diego region will be fully powered by local clean energy One of the best tools we can use to get there is Community Choice Energy What is Community Choice Energy? Recognizing that local residents and businesses wanted to choose more renewable power sources, stabilize rates, and invest revenues into projects that have a positive effect on the local community, the state legislature enacted Assembly Bill 117 in 2002. AB 117 allows cities and counties to establish nonprofit electricity providers in order topurchase power on behalf of their populations. It's called Community Choice Aggregation in the law, but around the state we call it Community Choice Energy. How Would Community Choice Benefit Us? ➢ More renewables at competitive rates.. Community Choice providers, such as the two already at work in California, offer their customers much more clean energy than the monopoly utility company. In Sonoma County (www.sonomacleanpower.org) customers can choose 33% or 100% clean energy plans. In Marin County (www.mcecleanenergy.com) customers can choose 50% or 100% plans. In both places the rates for residential and business customers in the 33% and 50% plans are beating PG&E outright. People are paying less with Choice and getting more clean energy than the monopoly offers. And the 100% plans don't cost much more if people would like to go full green. ➢ Local control. With Community Choice a local board of directors representing the participating public agencies would set rates for its customers in public meetings using a process that encourages public participation and values transparency. ➢ Local reinvestment. Millions of dollars leave San Diego County each year to pay for electric generation. Not with Community Choice. Over time, a Community Choice provider would buy increasing amounts of power from local sources, such as rooftop solar, while serving as a catalyst for local job creation. SUBMITTED BY: UNKNOWN Comm: No, N-35 •�� Ref. To: 9�%---- 4ef. Date JUN 0 P/COUNCIL SPECIAL MTG 6/1/15 0 o � .SIERRA CLUB +=�� FouNOEO 1811 714 COMMUNITY CHOICE ENERGY oQ Local, Clean & Competitive Energy that is Our Choice --= Our vision is that everyone in the San Diego region will be fully powered by local clean energy One of the best tools we can use to get there is Community Choice Energy What is Community Choice Energy? Recognizing that local residents and businesses wanted to choose more renewable power sources, stabilize rates, and invest revenues into projects that have a positive effect on the local community, the state legislature enacted Assembly Bill 117 in 2002. AB 117 allows cities and counties to establish nonprofit electricity providers in order topurchase power on behalf of their populations. It's called Community Choice Aggregation in the law, but around the state we call it Community Choice Energy. How Would Community Choice Benefit Us? ➢ More renewables at competitive rates.. Community Choice providers, such as the two already at work in California, offer their customers much more clean energy than the monopoly utility company. In Sonoma County (www.sonomacleanpower.org) customers can choose 33% or 100% clean energy plans. In Marin County (www.mcecleanenergy.com) customers can choose 50% or 100% plans. In both places the rates for residential and business customers in the 33% and 50% plans are beating PG&E outright. People are paying less with Choice and getting more clean energy than the monopoly offers. And the 100% plans don't cost much more if people would like to go full green. ➢ Local control. With Community Choice a local board of directors representing the participating public agencies would set rates for its customers in public meetings using a process that encourages public participation and values transparency. ➢ Local reinvestment. Millions of dollars leave San Diego County each year to pay for electric generation. Not with Community Choice. Over time, a Community Choice provider would buy increasing amounts of power from local sources, such as rooftop solar, while serving as a catalyst for local job creation. SUBMITTED BY: UNKNOWN Comm: No, N-35 •�� Ref. To: 9�%---- 4ef. Date JUN 0 Would Community Choice Replace'SDG&E? A Community Choice electricity provider in San Diego would -supply power to homes and businesses while SDG&E would continue to do the billing, own and maintain the electrical grid, and handle all emergencies. How Is. Community Choice Funded? Community Choice providers are -entirely self-funded by revenues they receive from customers. None of their expenses are paid by taxes, and their revenues cannot be diverted to pay for non -Community Choice uses. They have a minimal staff, and they keep their prices competitive by negotiating for all of their customers as a group and by the fact that they don't have to charge extra to generate a profit for shareholders. Will We Get Community Choice In Chula Vista? We are working at it and we are getting closer. The Chula Vista City Council included Community Choice when making updates to the City's Climate Action Plan last December. City staff is developing a formal process for exploring it and the City Council will revisit it in the coming months. But like all things that SDG&E doesn't want, political will is going to be the most important factor in determining whether or not Chula Vista gets what's best for its people and the environment. Therefore, it will take a broad base of community support to carry the day. Contact Pete Hasapopoulos, Sierra Club My Generation Campaign, 760.580.0.117, phasapopoulos@hotmail.com r" SIERRA k CLUB FOUND ED .1972