By enlisting in California Community Power, CleanPowerSF will join combined clean energy buying power and expand its access to cost-effective clean energy resources
CleanPowerSF, one of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) renewable energy programs, has officially joined California Community Power, a coalition of organizations that will provide San Francisco with greater access to procuring cost-effective new renewable energy and reliability resources and services as it continues to deliver clean, affordable energy to its customers.
By becoming a member of the California Community Power Joint Powers Agency (JPA), CleanPowerSF will join with other organizations to increase its buying power for the purchase of new clean energy and reliability resources that will help advance state and local climate action goals.
“Addressing the challenges brought on by climate change will require a collective effort in California—to make a real difference, we need to work together,” said SFPUC Acting General Manager Michael Carlin. “California Community Power will allow local government renewable energy service providers across the state to speak with one clear, decisive voice and to align our shared goal of providing clean, affordable power to all Californians.”
Having increased access to renewable energy products and services is crucial to CleanPowerSF meeting its ambitious climate targets. On Earth Day 2021, Mayor London Breed announced that CleanPowerSF will provide 100 percent renewable energy to all of its customers by 2025—five years ahead of the City’s initial goal and 20 years ahead of the State’s goal. Launched in 2016, CleanPowerSF has played a critical role in helping San Francisco reduce carbon emissions to 41 percent below 1990 levels.
Each local government agency participating in California Community Power operates a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program. CCA allows local governments to make power supply decisions for their community while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility, such as Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).
CleanPowerSF will be the 10th local program in California Community Power, joining the following CCAs: Central Coast Community Energy, East Bay Community Energy, Marin Community Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San José Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Sonoma Clean Power and Valley Clean Energy. Collectively, the 10 agencies represent roughly 3 million customer accounts.
“The growth of Community Choice Energy throughout California has meant that our locally-governed agencies are the primary drivers of renewable energy development in the state,” Girish Balachandran, California Community Power Board Chair and Silicon Valley Clean Energy CEO. “By working together, we can leverage our economies of scale to advance reliable and affordable solutions for a clean grid and achieve our shared climate goals.”
By teaming together to form a JPA, California Community Power members will have enhanced negotiating power, opportunities for larger joint renewable and storage project procurement, shared risk mitigation, and new opportunities for innovation.
Joining California Community Power will help further CleanPowerSF’s already robust efforts to develop new clean energy supplies for its customers. CleanPowerSF has already made commitments causing more than 450 megawatts of new renewable energy projects to be built in California and plans to procure more than 80 megawatts of solar energy and 25 megawatts of battery storage within the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a result, CleanPowerSF is hastening its transition to 100 percent renewable energy service. Currently, CleanPowerSF serves about 380,000 customer accounts in San Francisco and offers two electricity products—Green and SuperGreen. The Green product features at least 50 percent California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)-certified renewable energy with low carbon emissions, while the SuperGreen offers 100 percent California RPS-certified renewable and carbon-free energy at a cost of about $3 extra a month for the average residential household.
Because of its commitments to new renewable energy resources and successful procurement practices, CleanPowerSF plans to provide all of its customers with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 at no extra cost.
Along with CleanPowerSF, the SFPUC operates Hetch Hetchy Power, which provides 100 percent carbon-free energy to public facilities such as City Hall, schools and libraries, San Francisco International Airport; some private commercial developments; and affordable housing. Collectively, the two programs provide over 70 percent of the electricity consumed in San Francisco.