Originally published on the ECOreport.
In March of 2016, San Mateo County joined with 20 of its cities to found California’s fourth CCA (Community Choice Aggregate). Though the Peninsula Clean Energy Authority (PCEA) will continue to obtain electricity through PG&E’s existing power lines, it will also provide San Mateo residents with cleaner and greener energy choices. Yesterday, California’s 4th CCA announced its energy provider.
So far, all of California’s CCAs have been launched within Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) service area. The investor-owned utility spent $46 million promoting anti-CCA legislation to prevent Marin Clean Energy from launching in 2010, but failed. Marin led the way for Sonoma Clean Power (2014), Clean Power SF (2016) and now the Peninsula Clean Energy Authority.
“Direct Energy will allow us to deliver on our promise of providing residents and businesses with cleaner energy at competitive rates,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, Chair of the PCEA Board of Directors.
“Peninsula Clean Energy is looking forward to offering the residents and businesses of San Mateo County a cleaner, greener electricity choice, at lower rates than the incumbent utility,” added Jan Pepper, CEO of Peninsula Clean Energy.
They have signed a 51 month agreement, from October 2016 until December 2020. Approximately 20% of the county’s residents and all small- to medium-sized commercial accounts will be enrolled in ECOplus, the 50% renewable content option. This is 75% greenhouse gas emissions free, which compares well to the 60%-emissions-free option offered by PG&E. Peninsula Clean Energy also offers customers an opportunity to sign up for a 100% renewable option branded as ECO100.
Energy Choices
A spokesperson from County Supervisor Pine’s office said, “Our budget and supply forecasts assume that 2% of our customers will choose 100%. The Town of Portola Valley was enrolled by its City Council into our ECO100 product as the default, and many cities are opting up to ECO100 for their municipal accounts. We are receiving daily reports regarding the number of individuals, like me, who have elected to opt up to the ECO 100 as well.”
“We will be receiving our renewable energy from resources throughout the west, namely California, Oregon and Washington. Some of it will be solar and some of it will be wind. Direct Energy will be providing more details for us as they start procuring power on our behalf and will be able to identify the resource mix with great specificity.”
Photo Credits: The coast north of Montana, CA – courtesy Peninsula Clean Energy; Graph courtesy of Peninsula Clean Energy; Crystal Springs Reservoir which sits in the central range of San Mateo County – – courtesy Peninsula Clean Energy
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