San Francisco’s community choice energy program continues to deliver on its promise to support new renewable energy infrastructure in California
San Francisco, CA—CleanPowerSF, the community choice renewable energy program operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has significantly expanded its commitment to new solar and wind projects in California. The developments, which will create more than 500 jobs and generate about 1 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year—or about a third of CleanPowerSF’s entire annual energy use—will help the City reach its ambitious goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.
“By signing these agreements, CleanPowerSF is making a significant investment in our clean energy future,” said SFPUC General Manager Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. “These projects will expand CleanPowerSF’s power portfolio and provide clean, safe and reliable energy for our customers for years to come. We are developing our resources now to ensure that our residents and businesses continue to choose the SFPUC for their energy needs.”
CleanPowerSF’s portfolio includes resources like geothermal, wind, and solar energy sourced from within California. To continue to meet the clean energy needs of its approximately 379,000 CleanPowerSF customer accounts, the SFPUC has entered into three new long-term power agreements with Maverick Solar 6, Blythe Solar IV, and Terra-Gen that will expand wind and solar power procurement starting in 2020.
Maverick Solar 6, a 100-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant to be built near Desert Center, a community east of Palm Springs, will begin delivering power under a 20-year agreement in December 2021. Developed by EDF Renewables, Maverick Solar 6 will create 150 – 200 full-time positions during construction and operation of the project.
“EDF Renewables is pleased to partner on our first power purchase agreement with CleanPowerSF that will support the construction of the Maverick 6 project,” said Dai Owen, VP, Power Marketing at EDF Renewables. “We commend CleanPowerSF on this important milestone towards meeting their goal of supporting stable energy prices and new clean energy infrastructure and we look forward to building upon this opportunity in the future. This contract marks the Company’s 5th PPA with a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA); we are proud to be a reliable partner for the growing CCA community.”
Blythe Solar IV, a 62-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy center to be built in Blythe, is also a 20-year agreement and will begin serving CleanPowerSF customers next fall. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will develop, own and operate the project, which is expected to create approximately 150 construction jobs.
“At NextEra Energy Resources, we are pleased to help CleanPowerSF meet San Francisco’s energy needs with clean, renewable solar energy,” said Matt Handel, vice president of development for NextEra Energy Resources. “Since 1989, we have helped build California’s energy infrastructure and it is exciting to help usher in the next era of renewable energy for the state.”
In addition to these new solar commitments, CleanPowerSF will increase the amount of wind power it will purchase from Terra-Gen, LLC’s new Voyager Wind IV facility from 47 to 110 megawatts. Located in Kern County, California, the project will begin generating wind power for CleanPowerSF in winter 2020 and will create 100 – 200 full-time jobs during construction and operation. Wind power delivered under this agreement will account for about 10 percent of CleanPowerSF’s supply mix.
“Terra-Gen is proud of the business relationship we have formed with CleanPowerSF over the last few years,” said Jim Pagano, CEO of Terra-Gen, LLC. “We look forward to doing all we can to help CleanPowerSF achieve its lofty and admirable goals now and going forward.”
CleanPowerSF has a track record of delivering on its promise to support the development of new renewable energy projects through its power purchase commitments. Last year, the program agreed to purchase power from San Pablo Raceway, a new 100-megawatt solar project in Lancaster, California, which began producing power in 2019.
CleanPowerSF launched in 2016 with a mission to provide San Francisco residents and businesses with clean, renewable electricity at competitive rates. Following the largest and last enrollment period in April of this year, CleanPowerSF now serves about 379,000 customer accounts in San Francisco. With a 96 percent participation rate, the program is popular among businesses and residents.
Along with CleanPowerSF, the SFPUC operates the Hetch Hetchy Regional Power System, which provides 100 percent greenhouse gas free energy to public facilities, such as City Hall, San Francisco International Airport, Muni buses, schools and libraries. Collectively, the two systems meet approximately 80 percent of the electricity demand in San Francisco.
About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and generates clean power for municipal buildings, residents, and businesses. The SFPUC’s mission is to provide customers with high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. Learn more at www.sfwater.org.
About EDF Renewables North America
EDF Renewables North America is a market leading independent power producer and service provider with over 30 years of expertise in renewable energy. The Company delivers grid-scale power: wind (onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic, and storage projects; distributed solutions: solar, solar+storage, EV charging and energy management; and asset optimization: technical, operational, and commercial skills to maximize performance of generating projects. EDF Renewables’ North American portfolio consists of 16 GW of developed projects and 10 GW under service contracts. EDF Renewables North America is a subsidiary of EDF Renewables, the dedicated renewable energy affiliate of the EDF Group. For more information visit: www.edf-re.com.
About NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, “NextEra Energy Resources”), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 21,000 megawatts of net generating capacity, primarily in 36 states and Canada as of year-end 2018. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
About Terra-Gen, LLC
Terra-Gen, LLC is a renewable energy company focused on developing, owning, and operating utility-scale wind, solar and geothermal generation. Terra-Gen owns 1,051 MWs (net equity) of wind, geothermal and solar generating capacity in operation across 25 renewable power facilities throughout the Western United States with a focus on the California Marketplace. Terra-Gen's subsidiaries are responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 2,000 MWs of renewable projects. The company primarily sells the output of the renewable energy projects to utilities and power cooperatives under long-term power purchase agreements. Terra-Gen's operating portfolio is one of the largest renewable businesses in the United States. Terra-Gen continues to expand operations in renewable generation through a combination of acquisitions of operating projects, development of new projects and partnering on mid and late stage development opportunities. Visit terra-gen.com for more information.